ENGLEFELD — Englefeld School has celebrated their renovated school with a grand re-opening streamed to the community and unveiled their “natural playscape” style playground plan to the public.
Around $440,000 has been spent on the facility’s upgrades, with $40,000 being provided in emergent funding through the Ministry of Education for the work.
The Horizon School Division plans to spend another $100,000 to complete the work through a second phase, which has yet to go through the tender process.
The event saw dignitaries speak including Todd Goudy, MLA for the Melfort constituency; Mark Fedak, board trustee for the area; and Kevin Garinger, Horizon’s director of education, as well as retirement awards handed to the faculty leaving including Kayla Shaw, Donna Moellenbeck, Marie Stockbrugger, Trevor Kowalski, and Charles Biemans.
Corinne Harcourt, Englefeld’s principal, said that throughout the last few years surveys were given to the students based on what they wanted to see in the school, and each year the students gave similar results.
“There has always been a lot of love in this school regardless,” Harcourt said. “Did we need some changes? Absolutely we did. The changes that have been made have brightened up the classrooms, the lighting has been tremendous. Teachers started commenting lots on how beautiful and bright it is. We have spaces now that we did not have before.”
Harcourt described it “like Christmas” for the staff.
“The students are so excited to have the new space for the student lounge, and for the teachers, part of our favourite part is the new teacher workroom. We just love it, it’s an amazing space.”
Shelley van der Buhs, president of the School Community Council (SCC), said that before now the space available to the students was too small, causing stress among both the teachers and students when it came to planning and finding storage space.
“From a parent’s perspective, as long as our kids are happy, engaged and learning I think we can work with any space – but that their voice was heard for their needs,” Buhs said.
“I can attest to this because my son is one with varying needs. Just having the inclusiveness where he doesn’t have to go to a teeny tiny little room to receive his education, he can be in the bigger spaces, with his peers.”
Landon Stockbrugger, president of the Student Representative Council (SRC), said he felt the voices of the students were heard throughout the upgrades, pointing specifically at the student lounge.
The student lounge is a new addition to the school. With seats, a couch and microwave the small space may seem like a cubby-hole to some, but Stockbrugger said the incorporation was important to the classes
“[It’s] a place to relax and have time off, or just relax and do stuff,” Stockbrugger said. “We would usually just stay in the classroom during lunch.”
Natural playscape
The natural playscape, also called a “loose parts playground” is planned to be built in the empty space behind the school.
“A natural playscape, in simple terms, is a landscaping plan and design that’s intentionally designed to facilitate play and learning for children of all ages in a setting that makes nature and its benefits accessible to everyone,” said Merrissa Karmark, teacher with Grades 7 to 12, during her presentation to the community.
“Whereas traditional playgrounds prioritize the use of those structured kind of fabricated metal and plastic components, a natural playscape really focuses on using perennial trees and shrubs, grasses, logs, stone, sand and lawn to create a really interesting textural space for kids to create play in their own ways.”
Harcourt said that they started fundraising efforts in 2019, but wanted to work quietly securing grants before announcing it to the community due to the size of the project.
A total of $43,725 is currently secured out of the $155,000 needed to undergo the project, plus landscaping and labour.
The build will include a shoreline, miniature play, hill, specific plants and trees, kitchen play space, water play zone, construction play zone, connected through rubberized pathways.
Karmark said the hope is having a place where youth regardless of their ability and age can interact, grow and learn together.
“While this is a new venture for our school, and even as I understand it within the Horizon School Division, natural playscapes have a growing reputation around the globe for their forward thinking and innovative approach to play and learning in an era where childhood has become dominated by screens, technology and increasing sedentary lifestyles.”
A shoreline will be constructed, with sand rather than water. The shoreline, described as “marine play without the water hazard” will have a wheelchair accessible pier and bridge as well as an accessible sand table.
Miniature play will involve an area with a smooth pebble and river stone mosaic embedded in concrete to encourage seated play. There will be storable painted rock buildings, houses, cars, animals and other elements created by the Arts Ed class that are of low monetary value and a stiff bristled ‘shop broom’ with a shortened handle so kids can sweep the space clean of leaves or snow as they desire.
Trees and shrubs were selected in the miniature area based on their interactive and transformative quality which includes flexible willow branches, lilac flowers and seeds, Japanese maple “helicopters”, and caragana flowers.
A hill will be constructed which will be wheelchair accessibility by path; a campfire circle which will also serve as an outdoor classroom space with chalkboard and benches; tent frames that can be transformed using loose parts like canvas, branches, lumber; and an area to the back of the hill planted with juniper and spruce to discourage foot traffic.
A construction zone is planned with wheelchair accessible diggers; builder boards to allow for creative engineering play; different sized pea gravel, stone, and objects of interest to sieve out.
An outdoor kitchen is planned for construction to encourage domestic and hospitality skill play that will involve measuring, mixing, portioning, and a covered space for all weather play.
A water play area is planned which will include raised accessible water tables, water wall with moveable troughs, funnels and buckets, as well as hand pumps to access water in rain barrels.
“It has been brought to our attention a number of times that the town uses this space during Hogfest, and so that has been taken into account in the design and the space there that there is still lots of room for community events and we want the community to feel welcome and invited into the space as well,” Karmark said.
