The long wait is officially over.
W.G. Murdoch School, in partnership with Friends of W.G. Murdoch – a non-profit organization that raises funds for student-centred initiatives – is commemorating the official opening of its new accessible playground facility, following four years of fundraising efforts.
The grand opening of the playground took place on Oct. 13 at 4 p.m., featuring appearances from W.G. Murdoch School principal Derek Keenan, Friends of W.G. Murdoch chair Tracey Oldale, and other local dignitaries, including Mayor Kim Harris.
According to Keenan, the school and its supporters began fundraising efforts for the accessible playground in 2018 when it became clear the students at W.G. Murdoch had very little to do for playtime at recess and after school.
“We have a massive field and obviously a lot of space, but the direct pieces with recess and having something to do is exactly the reason that we were very interested in getting this going,” Keenan said.
The principal added a lot of the “heavy lifting” with regards to fundraising had been accomplished by the Friends of W.G. Murdoch group. In partnership, the organization and the school hosted fundraising events such as clothing drives and casinos, and they also sold products to raise funds over the years.
“Overall, it’s just been a really big community effort and it’s been massive throughout the community to see this progress be made, even though COVID slowed it down quite a bit during that time,” he said.
Oldale, of the Friends of W.G. Murdoch organization, said the fundraising journey has been a long road, reiterating Keenan’s comment that it was impacted tremendously by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“COVID had impacts that most fundraising journeys don’t have,” she said. “We had grants that were awarded to us and then were cancelled. You weren’t allowed to do a lot of fundraising because of restrictions.
“So, we just kept going and we eventually hit our target.”
The chair echoed the principal’s sentiments that Crossfield does not have an accessible playground for the students of W.G. Murdoch School, and one was definitely needed for the Grade 6 to 12 school.
“It is one of the only schools left in the district that did not have a play structure,” she added. “What school should not have a playground? No school.”
She said though Crossfield is home to a park and a playground at the neighbouring elementary school just down the road, it isn't suitable for the older kids to play there.
“We want our kids to be kids. Turn off the devices and go play, interact with each other, get some fresh air,” she said. “To get kids to do that, we need to give them the space to do that.”
Keenan added there is a misconception that when students leave Crossfield Elementary School and come to W.G. Murdoch for Grade 6, that they are in a “big kid” school, and so they no longer need a playground.
“We’ve really pushed over the last few years to try to be a little bit more inclusive of the ages and stages that we have in our building and make sure there’s something available for them to get the wiggles out, get the energy out,” Keenan said.
“[It’s important to] make sure they’ve expended that energy and they’ve got an inclusive space for them as they come across because they are only 11 or 12 years old in Grade 6.”
Oldale said the playground will be an inclusive and accessible playground for all young people in Crossfield to “embrace and enjoy for years to come.” The amenity is designed so that kids of all mobilities can enjoy it.
She added that finally hitting the fundraising goal necessary to build the playground was a big accomplishment for the organization.
“It’s pretty fantastic,” she said. “It’s a feeling like no other.”
According to Oldale and Keenan, both the school and the fundraising organization wanted to honour the efforts that were put forward with an official playground unveiling ceremony.
“We wanted to make sure there was a dedicated event for [our donors] to come and see it, but also to celebrate,” Keenan said.
