After more than five years, Whitefield Elementary School has completed its new playground. Through the hard work of dedicated staff, the final phase of the playground, which was installed incrementally, was completed over the summer, Principal Josh McNaughton said.
“It’s phenomenal,” McNaughton said. “I can’t thank the PTA, school board, and staff enough for helping to make this happen. We’re very proud of this project.”
In addition to the playground, students will soon be able to use an outdoor, timber-frame classroom constructed by the Hidden Valley Nature Center. Once a roof and picnic tables are installed, the timber frame will serve as a combined outdoor classroom and a place for students to relax in the shade and play board games during recess, McNaughton said.
For the past 30 years, Whitefield Elementary School has had a wooden playground that was affectionately referred to as “the splinter factory,” McNaughton said. The PTA jump-started fundraising efforts for a new playground and approximately five years ago purchased new swings and a climber.
Through the combined efforts of the PTA and the school board, funding was secured for a new playground. Over the summer of 2014, “the splinter factory” was demolished and a partial structure was installed. This past summer, the final pieces of equipment were installed and the playground was complete.
McNaughton and staff Louis Shorey, Todd Cook, Sue Peaslee, and Josh Shorey worked over the summer to assemble and install the playground’s remaining pieces. “They put in a lot of extra hours in the dead of the summer,” McNaughton said. “The staff was phenomenal in piecing this together.”
According to McNaughton, students were also involved in the process that established the new playground. Students chose the design, the color scheme, and the equipment included in their new playground structure through a popular vote.
The new playground features three slides, multiple climbers, a variety of monkey bars, a piece of equipment designed to improve balance that students call “the surfboard,” and a spinning seat, which is very popular with students, McNaughton said.
On the former playground, students had to wait in line for long periods of time to use the slides, McNaughton said. On the new playground, the wait is over. “They love it,” McNaughton said. “The students are ranting and raving. They’re excited to be on such a large structure.”
The timber-frame classroom will soon be available for students to use, as well. The outdoor classroom was constructed with PTA and district funds, McNaughton said. As an agricultural community, teachers were interested in holding class outside for hands-on learning projects.
The Hidden Valley Nature Center was hired to construct the timber-frame classroom. According to McNaughton, it was an opportunity to spend funds locally and support an organization that provided a lot of support to the school.
“We wanted to give back to a program that’s given a lot to us,” McNaughton said.
The playground is open not just to students but also to the community. Adjacent to the baseball field, the playground is a popular spot during the summer, on weekends, and after school, McNaughton said.
“We tolerated the old playground for a long time,” McNaughton said. “It’s nice to have this new addition to the school. We’re growing.”
