Playground project gives children leadership skills
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This article was published 11/10/2016 (3589 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Inkster Gardens residents have new play structures to try at Rosehill Park.
The park renovation was a collaborative process between the City and Meadows West School Grade 6 students. Earlier this year, Point Douglas councillor and deputy mayor Mike Pagtakhan met with the students to discuss what kind of play structures they would like to see in the park. Spinning amenities and elephant swings were some of the structures the students said were the most fun.
“The play structure was very tired, it was very old and it was getting unsafe,” Pagtakhan said.
Although Rosehill Park is a City-owned, students of Meadow West School use it the most during school hours. Incorporating project planning to the students’ learning experience reflects what a school is about, principal Roger LeGrand said. It also helped students understand what’s like to take on a big project.
“All of the skills that we taught them are employability skills. So in the future they will feel more confident,” LeGrand said emphasizing the experience raised their self-esteem. “They were able to speak up, and they were able to express their desires, and their needs were met.”
The students collected data from all students through presentations and surveys to ensure they would have a fun playground that would please everyone. Grade 6 students Raia Guinto and Peyton Chanthaseng were elected the leaders in picking the best play structures for the park.
“We wanted to promote exercise and phys-ed stuff and the other ones just didn’t do that for us, so we picked this one,” Guinto said, adding they were excited to play on it and see other kids have fun.
According to LeGrand, Rosehill Park is one of the most populated parks in the evening. Parents and grandparents come out to mingle and bring their children to play. He said this project was a great opportunity to give pride to the community.
“We teach here at the school that taking care of things means that things will last longer and be there for other people to use and for generations to come,” LeGrand said.
The new playground is just one part of the park renovation. Pagtakhan stated that they plan on incorporating more trees, a fitness trail and a walking path within the next couple years.
Involving students was essential to reflect the interest of the community, Pagtakhan said.
“Anytime that we plan our city, it’s so important, there’s such a huge value in really engaging our citizens and our kids. The youth is the future of this country and the school is the microcosm of the city so if we can engage the citizens in planning, this is what you see. It’s a great product,” Pagtakhan said.
The grand opening of Rosehill Park took place on Oct. 4 at Meadows West School.
