New accessible playground opens at Senator Reid Elementary

The wait is over! Senator Reid Elementary is home to a new accessible playground, thanks to the hard work of some dedicated students, staff and community members, and the generosity of students, the community, provincial government and local organizations.

On Wednesday (Feb. 16), the school hosted the official grand opening of the playground, which has been several years in the making and cost nearly $200,000. The playground includes accessible ramps, rubber ground surface, monkey bars and a bus that shakes, among other features.

"This play structure symbolizes the importance of community this could not have happened if it wasn't for all of our donors," said Terry Allen, Trustee with the Surrey Board of Education. "I hope the students enjoy this new playground and I look forward to seeing the positive impact it has on the local community."

"Outdoor, play-based learning activities are so important for students of all abilities, so they can connect with their friends and maintain their physical, social and mental health," said Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Education. "I'm so pleased that the Senator Reid Elementary community will benefit from this brand new accessible playground with support from the Province's Playground Equipment Program Grant for Universally Accessible Playgrounds."

"It was the community, the district, the school, the students and staff everybody worked together and had a part in it," said principal Laura Fenton. "It's been quite the journey and there was a big team approach to this."

In 2018, the district informed Fenton that two beloved climbing structures on the school's playground were expected to deteriorate and were going to be removed. Additionally, the structures were near some trees that had grown considerably over the years, causing the need to relocate the playground for future replacement structures.

"It was well used and loved but it had been deemed unserviceable," said Fenton. "The trees had grown so much in that area and we didn't want to damage the trees, so the new site was adjacent to another playground structure."

The school began looking into options for new playground structures, as well as attaining grants to cover the cost. SwingTime, the vendor, developed two different options for structures one with monkey bars, the other with more emphasis on ropes and it was put to the students for a vote.

"I really wanted make sure the staff and students were participating in the whole process," said Fenton. "We presented both and the kids decided they wanted to do the monkey bar structure."

Meanwhile, the Business Development department applied for the Ministry of Education's Playground Equipment Program Grant for Universally Accessible Playgrounds, securing $165,000 in government funding. Additionally, Janet Loewen and Sharon Richardson, two parents from the district who have helped other schools with grant applications for playgrounds, offered their assistance in securing a $12,200 grant from Tire Stewardship of BC, and a $12,275 donation from Marathon Surfaces Inc., which installed the rubber ground.

The Senator Reid Elementary PAC donated $5,000 and former staff member Corinne Alain donated $500. Students also fundraised nearly $1,000 through selling Hollar coins and freezies at No Frills, and the Grade 7 class of 2019 donated their money toward the playground instead of making yearbooks, all leading up to construction in fall 2021.

"We made an announcement to the students that we'd be getting the playground and literally every classroom was cheering and clapping for about three minutes," said Fenton. "They were just so excited, it still gives me goosebumps."

Fenton said accessibility was important in the design of the playground, noting there's something for every age and ability to use.

"We've had students who've gotten injured and were on crutches, we had a student who was wheelchair-bound and we have families with young children in strollers, and we wanted to make sure it would be an accessible playground," she said.

Fenton said students have described the playground as awesome, beautiful, fun, amazing, exciting, incredible and magnificent and she herself is thankful for the community effort that made it possible.

"We couldn't have done this ourselves, it takes a team and a community and we're very grateful," she said.