Students and staff at Huntsville Public School (HPS) are on a mission to build an accessible playground.
“Our playground now doesn’t have any accessibility for students who have different abilities physically. We have a couple students in wheelchairs, braces and who have visual impairments,” said Amy Dore, a teacher at HPS.
So far students and teachers have been fundraising within the school with various drives.
“The neat thing is that it was spearheaded by a group of kids,” said McNaughton. “They went with it initially and then we jumped on board.”
“The Grade 6 students were doing a piece around making playgrounds and building playgrounds so they were thinking along the lines of accessibility,” added Dore. “A lot of the in-house fundraising is being led by the kids.”
There are two events scheduled in early June to help with fundraising as well. The first is the Spring Extravaganza on June 9 from 3 to 9 p.m. at the Huntsville Fair Grounds. There will be live music, pony rides, Touch a Truck featuring a fire truck, tractor and more, mini golf, 3-legged races and other games. Wristbands are two for $15 at the school or $10 each at the gate. If you don’t want to play any games, a $2 donation is suggested.
The next event is a concert set for June 14 at the Algonquin Theatre from 7 to 9 p.m. Artists include Douglas and Arlene McLean, Davey Meloy and The Flashbacks. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at the school.
“We’re asking our Huntsville Public School community to step forward, but we’re looking to the community to do that as well, through corporations and work places,” said Kate McNaughton, a teacher with HPS. “We’re hoping the community is going to support this because it is for our school, but we’re in the heart of Huntsville so it’s for the community as well; for after school and weekends. I know there’s other playgrounds that have parts that are accessible. But this one will truly be accessible.”
The playground will cost $350,000. HPS is responsible for raising half as the Trillium Lakelands District School Board will match all funds raised.
“There’s a shock factor with the price, understandably. I know for myself when I first found out I said, ‘It’s the cost of a house,’” said McNaughton. “As soon as you say accessible the price goes up. We’re not just going to have part of it accessible, the majority will be accessible for wheelchairs.”
The current playground has gravel as the base and the new accessible playground will have a rubberized ground.
The existing HPS playground is not suitable for students in wheelchairs or with reduced mobility (Photo: Amy Dore)
HPS has more than 500 students and will continue to grow, noted Dore and McNaughton.
“If you look at the playground that’s here now, there’s not much for students to play with,” said McNaughton. “The designers were conscious of the older students too, and thinking of things they might enjoy doing as opposed to just primary kids. We often have older kids hanging out here after school as well. So it’s something to do other than basketball or hockey.”
The goal is to have the playground built over the summer.
“It’s going to be an alternate space for people to branch out and enjoy,” said McNaughton. “The busier the kids are the better. There’s not a lot of stuff for kids to do in town that’s free.”
“We want our kids to be physically active and have a safe place to play,” added Dore. “It will be fully accessible and open all year.”
To make a donation or for more information contact HPS at 705-789-2318.
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Super to hear the kids are deeply involved in creating a new playground. Community involvement should increase a sense of ownership and help reduce incidence of vandalism. Sounds like an awesome idea. Congratulations.