St. Michael Parish School in Wheeling Getting New Playground
Joselyn King Trending
Students at St. Michael Parish School in Woodsdale soon will have a slightly larger space outdoors in which to spend their recess time -- and they're even getting some new swings and slides.
The school has begun the process of placing a new playground at the site of its current playground between the school and the St. Angelus Center gym, but the area will be expanded.
There is currently a grassy area between the playground and nearby Lynwood Avenue, and half of this space is going to be removed to make way for the expansion, according to Bailey Frederick, director of advancement for St. Michael Parish School.
"We have kind of started, but the project will be accelerated in the next month," she said. "We expect completion by mid-October."
At present, preparation is happening for the pouring of a rubberized surface that will form the base of the new playground.
Cast and Baker Construction is the contractor doing the work, and the charitable fund -- the Cast & Baker Corporation -- is among the four donors making the project possible. Others include the August J. and Thelma S. Hoffmann Foundation, the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, and the Fitzsimmons Foundation.
Frederick said she isn't yet ready to release how much the playground will cost, only that it will be covered by donations.
She acknowledged the existing playground equipment is still in good shape and usable. It is to be removed, and will be transported and installed at the St. Joseph The Worker School in Weirton.
The issue is that the ground upon which the equipment sits needs excavation, she explained.
"We really needed something to replace the rocks around the playground," she added. "The playground was donated in pieces through the years. We had mulch there years ago. But then when we had heavy rains it caused a flood into a couple of rooms.
"We put rocks around the playground, but as our parents will tell you it's crazy what rocks do to shoes and clothes. We are wanting to bring in a better and more inclusive space."
The new playground equipment isn't going to look much different from what is currently there, Frederick said.
A proposed model for the playground shows it will have three slides, four swings and climbing structures, as well as benches and picnic tables. There will also be a play area accessible to wheelchairs where students can touch and move things with their hands.
"If we were to survey our grade school students regarding their favorite time of the school day, without a doubt recess would be the No. 1 answer," Frederick said. "What these children do not realize is that their 'play time' is a critical element of their curriculum and their development. "
She provided information from the American Academy of Pediatrics noting that recess serves as "a necessary break from the rigors of concentrated, academic challenges in the classroom."
"But equally important is the fact that safe and well-supervised recess offers cognitive, social, emotional, and physical benefits that may not be fully appreciated when a decision is made to diminish it," the information states. "Recess is unique from, and a complement to, physical education - not a substitute for it."