Bertrun E. Glavin School taking steps towards replacing playstructure

Valley Gardens

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This article was published 30/04/2025 (392 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Bertrun E. Glavin School community is gearing up for GatorThon.

On May 29, the Valley Gardens-based school’s parent advisory council will host the second annual GatorThon school fundraiser, which organizers say has evolved into a community building event to support being physically active and help pay for a “playground refresh.”

“It’s a school fundraiser event that has evolved into a community building event to support being physically active and a playground refresh,” said Lindsay Boyko, who has been teaching physical education at the school for 14 years.

Cecilia DeBraga is a member of the parent advisory council organizing the fundraiser and event. She currently has two children in grades 3 and 5 at the school, while her third child will begin attending in the fall.

“When my daughter started going to Bertrun, the PAC has been interested in updating the playground,” DeBraga said. “But it hasn’t been until the last two years that we’ve really honed in on it. It’s been exciting to see money coming in, and us looking to see what we can do with that.”

According to Boyko, the playground at the school has not changed much since the school opened in 1973, despite being a hub of activity for both the students at the school and the community at large.

“We’ve painted the tarmac, replaced the hoops, that kind of thing,” Boyko said. “Looking at the demographics of our kids, a lot of our kids don’t have a chance to be part of extracurricular activities. The community is where they go to play. They come to our back area after school, summer, or weekends, so having a space where they can come to play is huge. But the playground needs improvement. It would be good to refresh the back area for anyone who wants to come use it.”

“It has gotten a lot of wear,” DeBraga added. “We’ve got some great monkey bars, a nice little drawbridge. It’s a fun one for the kids, but it is dated, and there are some parts missing that we can no longer replace. It’s becoming an eyesore.”

Last year’s GatorThon raised $8,000 for the project, with over 350 people coming out to take part. Funds from last year have been earmarked to replace the swing sets at the school, which could happen later this June. Organizers are hoping to make this year’s event “bigger and better.”

During the lead-up to the event, students at the school are being encouraged to “earn feet” towards a communal goal, by doing kind things and helping others.

“Our kids, they earn little cut-out feet for every time they’re caught doing what we call ‘exercising their generosity’ — like holding the door for a staff member, that kind of thing,” Boyko added. “Those things go onto a track, which counts towards different levels of rewards — an extra recess, freezies, popcorn and a movie. If you are able to raise funds, you are also get feet to add to the total.”

Kids who earn feet at school get to attend the GatorThon event for free, while community members are asked to contribute $5 to the cause.

“It’s a really fun family event,” DeBraga said. “Not everybody has to run. This is just to gain awareness that this is something we’re doing, and to enjoy themselves while they’re out there.”

GatorThon 2025 will take place on Thursday, May 29 starting at 5:30 p.m. at 166 Antrim Rd. Anyone in the community is welcome.