Taking a ride with students on an Oodle Swing. Giving a colleague a twirl in the Global Motion. Up and over the Portal Climber.
You couldnsa国际传媒檛 wipe the smile off Rachna Singhsa国际传媒檚 face Tuesday morning in Vernon.
B.C.sa国际传媒檚 education minister was on hand to officially open the new accessible and inclusive playground at Alexis Park Elementary School May 16, then proceeded to join students in playing on the new equipment.
sa国际传媒淚 could spend the whole day here,sa国际传媒� laughed Singh, after sharing the Oodle Swing with Vernon Monashee MLA, NDP colleague Harwinder Sandhu, who received a push around the Global Motion equipment from the minister.
sa国际传媒淧laygrounds are excellent for our kidssa国际传媒� physical and mental health, and are spaces where they can be themselves and express their fun-loving nature. Our government is helping communities throughout the province with better access to modern playground equipment that will benefit everyone.sa国际传媒�
Thousands more students will soon have access to new, safe and accessible playgrounds that support play and health as the province continues to support the Playground Equipment Program (PEP) for a sixth year.
This year, the PEP will provide $5 million toward 25 new school playgrounds across 25 school districts. The province, said Singh, has increased the amount of funding that school districts will receive per playground to $195,000. Playgrounds are expected to be designed, built and installed over the next year.
The program significantly reduces parent-led fundraising that was previously needed to help build playgrounds.
The playground at Alexis Park Elementary was actually constructed in 2020.
sa国际传媒淎lexis Park students love their new playground and we have seen positive changes in mental health and engagement since it has been completed,sa国际传媒� said acting principal Cordell Ware.
Singh and Sandhu were joined on the Oodle Swing by students Brody Panter-Stokes, Lexa Meise, and Callandra Salhus-Grant. Panter-Stokes is a Grade 5 student who has mobility issues so the new playground for him is, in a word, sa国际传媒渁wesome.sa国际传媒� And itsa国际传媒檚 an upgrade from the old playground.
sa国际传媒淥h yeh, it (playground) definitely makes a difference. Itsa国际传媒檚 pretty awesome,sa国际传媒� he said.
sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 really fun, really cool,sa国际传媒� said Meise, a Grade 6 student who is a big fan of the monkey bars. sa国际传媒淭his playground is more accessible for all students.sa国际传媒�
Fellow monkey bar lover Salhus-Grant, who is in Grade 4, loves the new playground butsa国际传媒a国际传媒淭here should be more monkey bars. I really like monkey bars.sa国际传媒�
Playgrounds promote physical activity, while encouraging students to share and develop conflict-resolution skills. They also provide students with opportunities to learn new things, reduce anxiety, improve focus, increase attention span, and enhance gross-motor, social, emotional and sensory development.
sa国际传媒淧laying is essential to every childsa国际传媒檚 mental and physical health,sa国际传媒� said Sandhu, whose son is an Alexis Park alumnus. sa国际传媒淭he Alexis Park communitysa国际传媒檚 playground has provided a safe place where children and families can play, create adventures and grow together for many more years to come.sa国际传媒�
Joining the festivities Tuesday morning were Grade 7 emcees Allison Sanchez and Gabe Teeples, Vernon School District board vice-chair Tom Williamson, the Alexis Park Grade 4-6 choir with teacher Tobi Huggins conducting, and the schoolsa国际传媒檚 Parent Advisory Council chair Laura Tifenbach, who said the entire community will benefit from the accessible, inclusive playground.
sa国际传媒淥ur children get to play on excellent equipment,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淚t is great to hear them laugh and wonderful to see them all having a great time. It has become a place for the community to come together and enjoy play.sa国际传媒�
roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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