Related Photos

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  An image of the new fitness-based playground that is planned, once Waverly Public School reaches the $60,000 fundraising goal.
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  Waverly Public School’s current school yard and the location where they plan to build the new playground.

Waverly Public School is fundraising to build its first ever playground

Durham District School Board’s Waverly Public School has accepted the challenge to fundraise and build the school’s first ever playground. The school recently celebrated their 50^th anniversary and at the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year they decided to ask students what they wanted in their school yard.

“Many of the students voted for more pavement type games, a gaga ball area, soccer posts in each age division, a playground, and an obstacle type course,” explains Amanda Chapman, Principal at Waverly Public School. “The solution was easy, give the students what they asked for, something to climb and build their fitness components, a fitness playground.”

Encouraging an Active Lifestyle

Since this will be Waverly’s first playground, they wanted to make sure the design would make the space useful for all students. The school is located in a priority neighbourhood and the team at Waverly Public School is dedicated to creating opportunities for students to enjoy an active lifestyle and create habits that will last throughout their lives. So, they were thrilled when they were one of three organizations to receive the At My Best grant in partnership with AstraZeneca Canada totalling $2000.

Sherri Parr, the Physical Education Teacher, applied for the grant during at home learning in June. “At My Best has been a program that I have used throughout the years because it facilitates physical activity, emotional well-being, and healthy eating,” Parr says. “During the Spring school closures, At My Best, adapted their program to include a Home Edition, Play Day Passport. It is here I saw an opportunity to apply for a grant that aligned with our fitness-based playground goal.”  

How to Help

In addition to the grant, the entire Waverly PS school community has been working hard to fundraise to reach their goal of $60,000 to build the playground. They have been thinking outside the box, since the traditional fundraising methods cannot be done due to the pandemic. The team has started to use the DDSB approved app FlipGive. The app is free and people can sign-up and help the school by buying groceries, gas, gift cards and more. Brands who have a relationship with FlipGive, will give the organization a portion of the purchases to be put towards the fundraising campaign. So far Waverly PS has raised over $2000 using FlipGive. To support Waverly PS’s fundraising efforts individuals can visit www.FlipGive.com and use the code 27NTTC. Parr has also created a video illustrating how to use the app: bit.ly/WPSflipgive

“Additionally, several community members, including many from their School Community Council (SCC), are hosting a bottle drive on January 10^th at Glen Stewart Park from 1 pm - 3 pm with proceeds going towards the playground project,” Chapman shares. “We are happily accepting sponsorship and personal donations.” Please contact WaverlyPS@ddsb.ca or call 905-728-4461 for more details.