École Dieppe eyes new green space

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This article was published 10/12/2021 (1586 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The pandemic drove home the importance of outdoor recreation to mental and physical well-being, and that was certainly the experience of students and staff at École Dieppe, principal Bronwen Davies said.

The students began to look at their schoolyard in a different light when health precautions mandated that they must use the school’s play areas in rotation.

To put in plainly — some areas were more fun than others.

This change in perspective was the impetus behind École Dieppe’s decision to rally students and the parent advisory council to come up with ideas about how to transform the yard into a more enriching space.

The goal is to create a location fit for the school’s roughly 400 kindergarten to Grade 4 students, the neighbouring Sunnyside Child Care Centre, and the community at-large.

“It’s really exciting to be a part of this project,” Davies said, adding that the green space would allow teachers to lead outdoor classes.

Keri Renouf is a member of the parent advisory school and a mother to three boys, two of whom study at École Dieppe. Renouf and the other PAC members want more caregivers to know about the project, she said.

Renouf described the current school yard as a vast area chalked full of potential.

“It’s great to have open space, but I think maybe the kids feel kind of exposed,” she said.

École Dieppe launched its fundraiser at the end of November to help cover the project’s estimated price tag of $155,000. The school hopes to raise a solid chunk of the cash before the end of February 2022. If it does, workers may break ground as early as July, Davies said.

“When students come back in September 2022, their green space will look a bit different and have some new, exciting features for them to explore,” Davies said.

School administration and parents consulted with students about what they would like to see be built.

The resulting vision for the yard includes eight sections: a stage; a tree-lined hill for shade; a track; a jungle gym with swings and climbers; a berm for tobogganing, a stand of boulders and a red maple tree to represent the Dieppe Raid, school’s namesake; a market for hotdog and popsicle stands; and the woods, a future stand of hardwood trees near the ground’s southeast corner.

The new swing set and climber were top of mind for the children, Davies said. The concept behind “the beaches” stands out to Davies and Renouf. The pair see it as a powerful tribute to the sacrifices of First World War soldiers.

School officials and parent volunteers are working to lock down various grants to fund the project, including the Pembina Trails School Division’s playground revitalization grant. But the school is relying on private donors to make up the difference.

Wendy Simonson of Horizon Landscape and Design drafted the space’s artist renderings. The plans can be viewed online at www.dieppegreenspace.ca

Updates about the École Dieppe green space project can be found on the École Dieppe PAC Facebook page, on Instagram @École_Dieppe_PAC, or by visiting the project’s web page.