September 30th, 2014

Rob MacQueen (Retired Stanley Park Principal), Brent Johnston (Stanley Park Teacher) and Andy Sinclair (Stanley Park Teacher) started planning a school ground greening project a year ago to celebrate Stanley Park Public School’s 50th Anniversary. Working with the Stanley Park students and staff, the school prioritized the scope of the project:

• To create an outdoor classroom to support student learning in the out-of-doors
• To increase shade for students and staff on the school yard
• To increase shade for our building
• To create play space for our passive players
• To add to our existing remembrance grove of trees
• To naturalize the landscape by adding locally indigenous trees

Staff attended several Evergreen workshops at the Ed Centre to learn how to make our vision a reality. With the help of Dennis Wendland and Glynis Logue (Evergreen School Ground Design Consultants) and Scott Davey (Councillor – Ward 1, City of Kitchener), the school created a conceptual site plan.

The school applied to the Region of Waterloo’s Community Environment Fund and were approved for a $3000 grant. This amount was matched with $3000 of their own school fundraising.

In addition, they also applied to and were selected by the Waterloo Chapter of Landscape Ontario to be their school greening project for 2014. They contributed an additional $4000 to our project in time, equipment and materials.

With the leadership of Jason Dietrich (Landscape Ontario, Waterloo Chapter, Director and School Greening Chair) and Sandy Dawson (Stanley Park Principal), the vision become a reality. On Wednesday, September 24 (National Tree Day), approximately 45 Landscape Ontario volunteers gathered at Stanley Park. In one day, the school had an outdoor classroom created, 19 trees planted, 33 armorstone rocks placed, a new pathway created, and lots of mulch spread. As a bonus, Landscape Ontario volunteers also cleaned up the jumping pits, refreshed front gardens, and planted some new shrubs around the school sign!

Categories: Community · Schools Tags: Green Industries · Stanley Park Public School