ESTEVAN - The net climber installation at Hillcrest School’s playground was completed in mid-August, and the new fun piece of equipment is now available to students and the community.
Principal Kristy Johnson said it took the school about four years to raise the funds necessary to purchase and install the structure to improve their playground.
"A few years ago, we had interviewed some of our middle years students to see what they would like added to our playground. Some of the other schools have a similar climbing dome. And so, the group that we had interviewed said that they would like something similar to what they had seen at one of the other schools. So we picked out a net climber apparatus to add to our playground," Johnson explained.
For the past few years, the school, with the help of their school community council (SCC), ran several fundraisers including hot lunches, school clothing order forms, an online bottle drive system and cards in a box.
"We've done several fundraisers every year, and then [used] some support money through a grant we had received as well for student engagement and outdoor activities," Johnson said.
Students chose what kind of improvement they wanted to see happening, and their families and the community supported their vision. Once the decision was made on what they wanted to see added, Hillcrest had to get approval from the school division. In the spring, the school started working with a company, which installed the construction over the summer.
And ever since the net climber was added, kids started actively using it.
"[I ran into] a few students out there, and there's a couple of students who are getting here before eight o'clock in the morning, every morning. One girl said they come every day. They call it the spider web, and she said it's lots of fun," Johnson shared.
She added the Hillcrest Early Learning Centre daycare will also benefit from the addition to the playground, and so will other kids from the community.
"Everybody in the surrounding community can come and play on it. It's great for gross motor skills, for children climbing and just having fun," said Johnson. "Our big goal was to have families and even younger children who aren't in school yet to be able to use it because climbing is definitely a skill that's important for gross motor development."
Johnson also thanked everyone involved for consistent support of the project.
"A really big thank you to our school community council and to our families for supporting our fundraisers. And we are just encouraging people to come and use it," Johnson said.
