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megram - Guide To Spring Fun In Ottawa's West End - Index

often takes five years or more to do
what these parents have done in one
year. But there was a very unique
connection between the parents and
the school right away. What’s happened
here is a model of what a professional
learning community should
and can be.”
A Vision for a Healthier
and Safer Schoolyard
St. Emily Catholic Elementary
School opened its doors in
Barrhaven’s Chapman Mills community
in September 2006. However, the
students, who were housed temporarily
at St. Patrick’s, didn’t move in until
December 2006. In addition, because
of boundary changes, some of the
young students (Grades 6 and under)
had already attended three or four
schools.
“By the end of Grade 6, students
will have spent 257 entire school days
in their schoolyard,” says Suzanne
Hayes, “R” Yard chairperson. For the
school community, there was no question
that the number one priority had
to be to create a healthy and safe outdoor
environment for the children.
Ann Coffey’s book A Guide to
Transforming School Grounds became
their guide. The committee invited
Ann to speak to the school council on
March 19, 2007. Everyone quickly
embraced her notion of “transforming
school grounds from barren,
prison-like environments into nurturing,
healthy, biodiverse spaces where
children and the community can connect
with their own natural spirits.”
She told them: “There is enormous
potential for transforming barren
expanses of asphalt and worn-out
grass into exciting natural spaces for
learning, playing, and socializing.”
“We thought we knew what we
wanted before we read Ann’s book,
but then we listened to what she had
to say,” explains Jane. “Her talk was
inspirational. We knew we had to start
thinking outside the box.”
To learn more, several council
members attended one or more of
Ann’s workshops: Surveying People
and the Grounds, and Exploring
Curriculum Connection (Suzanne);
Financing Your Project (Jane); Site
Design: Putting the Pieces Together
(Suzanne and teacher Lynda Lapointe).
And then the work began.
Everyone had a voice in the planning
and preparation for the schoolyard.
All three stakeholders — parents,
school, and church — were
involved. Surveys and classroom discussions
helped Jane, Suzanne, and
other committee members prioritize
individual interests, health concern
and safety issues, and assess the educational
possibilities.
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Due West Magazine • Page 29 • Spring 2008
A SCHOOLYARD TAKES SHAPE
Early in the 2007/2008 school
year, they set out to plant trees — lots
of them. The school board planted
trees along the fence line; volunteers
planted trees in more strategic locations
to provide shade for the children.
On October 20, 2007, affectionately
called St. Emily Planting Day,
more than 100 parents, children, and
teachers came out to plant perennials
and shrubs.
“I was blown away by the number
of families that showed up with wheel-