Hansen embarks on ambitious playground project

The Lawrence M. Walsh playground, named for a former principal, was a community project when it was built at the Hansen School in 1988. Parents and other volunteers spent a weekend working together to create a new recreational area at the school that incorporated students’ ideas.

Fast forward to 2012 and the Walsh playground is undergoing changes — again with the help of the Hansen community. When the project is completed in July of 2013, there will be two playgrounds for students. The first phase of the project, an upgrade of the existing playground, was completed last week. The second playground (phase 2) will be built directly behind the school gym next summer.

Hansen principal Peter Boucher said that a recent inspection of the playground showed that the equipment could be used for at least another year, but he decided to improve the area now.

“We had two apparatus that were not as safe as I would like them to be,” he said.

The Hansen CAPT (Canton Association of Parents and Teachers) voted to fund the upgrading of the playground in the amount of $22,000.

“It’s cutting-edge apparatus; it’s engaged play,” Boucher said of the new colorful equipment, which includes a new set of swings and stations with games like tic-tac-toe.

Hansen CAPT Publicity Chair Sue Sweenie said that Boucher brought diagrams of the proposed playground to CAPT meetings in the spring. She said the group had “always had concerns” about the condition of the playground and leaned on Boucher’s expertise.

Sweenie and other parents have seen the new playground and are happy with the results. “I think it’s great,” said Sweenie. “It’s safer.” Boucher said new mulch will be added to the playground area over the summer.

The second phase of the project will help to address the challenges the school has faced in light of its growing enrollment. “We have 500 kids,” Boucher said. “It just kind of made sense to add another playground.”

Students in all grades will use the newly completed playground in the fall. The second playground is meant to be used primarily by students in kindergarten through third grade beginning in the fall of 2013.

Phase 2 will cost around $55,000. More than $15,000 has been donated to date, with local business owner and philanthropist Don Rodman contributing $10,000 and the Hansen students collecting more than $5,000 through a jumping jack fundraiser. Students who participated took a pledge sheet home and asked family members and friends to pledge a specific amount of money for each jumping jack that they did during a five-minute period of their physical education class.

“We told them, ‘Here’s your chance to do something fun and raise money for a playground,’” Sweenie said.

Hansen wellness teacher David Bohane and volunteers supervised the students who did the jumping jacks.

CAPT Vice President of Fundraising Sharon Stemm will work with Boucher and the Hansen CAPT board to plan fundraisers for the upcoming school year.

“We had the opportunities to make the playgrounds interesting and safer,” Boucher said. “It’s exciting.”

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Posted by Mary Ann Price on Jul 19 2012. Filed under News, Schools. Both comments and pings are currently closed.