Students at a pair of Ladner elementary schools have brand new playground equipment to enjoy.
On Monday, the Delta School District held playground openings at Ladner and Port Guichon elementary schools.
The playgrounds were built thanks to funding from the City of Delta and fundraising efforts of the Parent Advisory Councils (PACs) from both schools.
The opening ceremonies were attended by representatives from the school district, City of Delta and PACs.
“It is great to see two Ladner schools benefit from new playgrounds,” said school district board chair Val Windsor. “Playgrounds are safe spaces where kids develop crucial physical, social, emotional and imaginative skills necessary to gain self-confidence, improve coordination, and advance critical thinking capabilities. They help students learn to be citizens through play, sharing and collaboration.”
On behalf of the board, Windsor thanked the City of Delta and the school PACs for funding the two projects.
“It has taken many years of commitment from them [PACs] to raise enough funds to make these wonderful new playgrounds a reality,” she said. “I know for sure that both of these playgrounds will be enjoyed by Ladner families for years to come.”
The playground and equipment cost for Ladner elementary was more than $200,000.
Delta provided a grant of $45,000 towards the equipment and design, while the school district provided a matching contribution to cover ground remediation and other preparatory costs while the Ladner PACs fundraised for the additional funding.
“I think I can speak for all the members of the PAC and the parents at Ladner Elementary when I say we are all just so happy this day has finally come,” said Tyla Langdon, Ladner PAC executive member at-large. “We are so grateful to everyone who supported this project through volunteer hours and donations. Big and small – they all made a difference.”
The total project cost at Port Guichon was more than $100,000.
Delta provided a grant of $38,000 towards the equipment and $5,000 for design. The school district matched the contribution to cover ground remediation and all other preparatory costs with the Port Guichon PAC raising additional funds.
“The Port Guichon Elementary PAC is very excited the new school playground is finally here after many years of fundraising and planning,” said Port Guichon PAC chair Alisa Sayce. “We would like to thank the City of Delta and Delta School District, as well as all the current and past families, students and teachers at Port Guichon for their help and support of this project.”
Mayor George Harvie added that, “These tremendous new playgrounds are a testament to the incredible things that can be achieved when we, as a community, work together to advocate for our children’s future.”
