A new playground is going to be built at a Maple Ridge school, one of 25 announced by the province on Friday.
On May 1, Lisa Beare, Minister of Education and Child Care, was at Fairview Elementary for the announcement, along with school board chair Elaine Yamamoto and trustees Hudson Campbell and Pascale Shaw.
Beare said the project is exciting.
“We know how important it is for children to have a safe, modern place to play. It’s good for their health, their mental health and just their overall well-being,” she said.
Each of the 25 schools across B.C. will receive $200,000, totalling an investment of $5 million.
SD42 school board Chair Elaine Yamamoto said Fairview was in need of an improvement, and she can’t wait to see the playground being enjoyed.
Yamamoto also noted how much the board appreciates the province’s funding and focus on outdoor play.
“I’m really happy that we got one of the 25 playgrounds from the province. Our students will have a new safe and accessible place to play,” echoed Campbell.
Campbell is hoping more will be funded in the future, because there are still more students who need safe and accessible play spaces.
The next step in the process will be gathering input into what the new playground will look like.
School Principal Laura Bruce, said staff will be gathering ideas from various vendors. Parents and students will also have a voice, she said.
Bruce is excited about the current standards for playgrounds and that the new one will be accessible to all of the students.
Trustee Shaw is hoping the existing playground can be reused or repurposed.
“There’s some useful pieces in here, and I would hate to see them go to waste,” she said.
Campbell said feedback from students is that they really want a slide but that they are excited about taking part in the engagement process over the next year.
Grade 4 student Zakariya is hoping to see either a zip line installed, or a plane part, to experience something like a flight simulator game.
Since 2018, the province says it has supported students and families with more than $50 million toward new playgrounds at more than 330 schools, benefiting more than 88,000 students.