CARIBOU, Maine — Pre-K students were moved from Teague Park to Hilltop Elementary School during the 2009-10 school year and though the move is a perfect fit for the students, staff and faculty, one piece of the puzzle is still missing: playground equipment.
The school does have a playground — a drive by the school during any particular recess time will show just how popular the playground is — but all the equipment is made for the elementary school’s older children.
“We need equipment that’s the appropriate size for our pre-K students so they can play on slides and climbing equipment — but it should be developmentally correct and age appropriate for their size,” explained Hilltop Principal Jane McCall.
Members of the Caribou Ladies Auxiliary of the VFW brought a $500 donation to the school on Oct. 24 to help purchase the gear, which is projected to cost $70,000. The donation was given as part of “Make a Difference Day” and the auxiliary generated the funds though its ongoing Bingo nights.
“We had Jane come to our meeting one night and talk to us, and we saw that they were in dire need for playground equipment,” said Ladies Auxiliary President Pat Edgecomb.
The Ladies Auxiliary and its over 200 members is very active in the greater Caribou community including their ongoing efforts at Hilltop.
“It’s an excellent partnership that has a history of a number of years,” McCall said. “They always reach out to us to stay connected and to provide students with some opportunities, such as the coloring contest that they had, and they’ll be doing a presentation about how important it is that we salute the flag and show our patriotism.”
Though the auxiliary members know that the school needs help raising funds, they didn’t have any specific ideas as to what kind of equipment they’d like to see added to the playground.
“They know what they need,” said Yvonne Theriault, the group’s chaplain.
Included in the playground expansion project would be a large piece of equipment better suited for the size of 4-year-old students.
“Older kids can certainly play on it, but the height of (this new equipment) would be more appropriate for the 4-year-olds,” McCall said.
In a sketch of the proposed playground, crafted by the New England Recreation Group/Play and Park Structures, the new equipment also has two pieces resembling kid-friendly climbing rocks and a special ring game for the older kids that resembles a monkey-bar type grid with dangling ring hand holds for kids to swing around on.
The playground at Hilltop has a history of community support; a few years ago, members of the Calvary Baptist Church spent hours sprucing up the playground equipment with a fresh coat of paint.
Hilltop students appreciate the community support — particularly since recess is a favorite part of the day.
Gwen Crandall is 7, and she likes playing on the swings during recess. She’s learning about the sun and the moon in science, and it’s pretty hard stuff. That’s why if she could single out one piece of playground equipment that she likes the best, it’s the jungle gym.
“It has a little place under it where you can sit and it’s quiet, and I get to meditate,” the 7-year-old said.
Logan Duplissie is also 7, but he likes to play tag with his friends during recess and doesn’t spend much time on the playground equipment. He said that new equipment, however, might make the playground more fun.
Both Duplissie and Crandall agreed that when someone gives you something there’s something you should say.
“Thank you!” they said to the auxiliary members.
November brings a new fundraiser for the school — a catalog of items students will have to sell and a percentage of the proceeds will go toward the new playground gear.
McCall is hoping that the new playground will be constructed for the 2015 school year.
