School project all about providing opportunity

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This article was published 03/06/2019 (2509 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When it comes to play — as with so many things in life — inclusivity is profoundly important.

That’s the message being conveyed by key members of the General Vanier School community in light of the recent Walk in the Park event that was organized by the Windsor Park-based school’s parent advisory council.

The May 23 event — which has been hailed a success by the council’s president Tom Peever — was a fundraising initiative organized by the council to help provide for support for school projects and resources for the school’s 238 students. The main focus of this year’s walk — the first annual one — was to continue fundraising efforts for Phase 2 of the school’s playground enhancement project.

Peever said the council is deeply driven by the desire to continue to create a space for all kids in the school’s community and neighbouring areas that is accessible to everyone.

“We believe strongly in inclusive education, and it is our mission to help raise the funds necessary to update the playground, so that it can become a place that is accessible to all children,” Peever said.

“We’ve all been really focused on the subject of mobility issues, and for the last few years, we’ve had lots of community support, and support from local businesses, and the walk was huge success.”

According to Peever, the success of the walk far exceeded the expectations of organizers, and the event raised more than $10,000 for the cause, which included student pledges, corporate sponsorships, silent auction proceeds, T-shirt sales, and community donations.

Moving forward, Peever — who is grateful for the support of the community at large to date — said he acknowledges the fact there are a number of schools in the area at various stages of playground development, redevelopment, or enhancement, and that it’s important to emphasize that Vanier’s project is not only about accessibility issues, but about providing an opportunity for local kids with different levels of mobility, as well as kids from beyond the school’s catchment area, to enjoy important playtime that is essential to their development. The first phase of the development was completed in 2017.

“We’ve got lots of sponsors to thank, and we’ve had tremendous school and student support,” he said.

His wife, Shannon Peever — the council’s playground enhancement co-ordinator, who is also a resource teacher in Pembina Trails School Division — said the council distributed surveys in the community to determine what aspects of a playground were important to area residents, and it has worked closely with Playgrounds-R-Us.

She said the existing playground includes bucket seat swings, and sensory pieces such as disc swings, which can be great for kids who require quiet time.

“Ultimately, we want this playground be used by as many children as possible,” she said, adding the response to the walk “blew our expectations out of the water.”

“We want to communicate to the community what’s important, and that this is what we believe in. We want kids from across the city to be able to come and play in this playground.”

Noting the school will have five students in wheelchairs in September, the school’s vice-principal Connie Stanley said it’s crucial to be able to improve play-based learning for all kids.

“The sooner we can help these little guys to become immersed with their peers, the better,” Stanley said.

Joel Kowerko, whose daughter Zoey has mobility issues, said it’s great to have a safe and accessible place for him and his wife, Diane, to bring Zoey. “It’s nice to have something that’s close to home that we can go to,” he said.

Go online at generalvanier.com for more information. The website includes a playground diary, which updates individuals on the progress of fundraising efforts and grant applications for Phase 2 of the playground enhancement project.