By Elayne Duggan
No grass to run on, not one tree to sit under, no jungle gym to play on. Just asphalt bordered by chain-link fence.
That’s what the yard of St. Anthony’s Catholic School on Booth Street looked like when it won the first annual Ugliest School Yard Contest, as part of Earth Day festivities last spring.
For this distinction, St. Anthony’s received $5,000 from Nortel Networks to make improvements to its grounds.
The contest was organized by Earth Day Ottawa-Carleton (EDOC) and the Canadian Biodiversity Institute (CBI).
Ann Coffey, an associate of the CBI’s School as Ecosystem program, has been working closely with the children since they won the contest to help them transform their schoolyard.
“By the time they reach the end of sixth grade, they will have spent 1,800 hours in that space. That’s equivalent to 257 school days,” says Coffey.
The only tree around the schoolyard was on the other side of the fence. It was destroyed by last winter’s ice storm.
Last week children at the school welcomed 15 large trees to their yard, as the first phase of the transformation project took shape. The trees were donated by the National Capital Commission (NCC).
“I feel very happy that we’re going to be changing our school and it won’t be called an ugly schoolyard any more,” says Linh Nguyen, a Grade 6 pupil.
In the days before the ceremony, a large area of asphalt was dug up, topsoil was delivered and the trees were planted.
“When the heavy equipment arrived, and started lifting up the asphalt, the children broke into smiles, laughter.” says principal Dr. John Dorner.
During the Oct. 29 ceremony, staff and pupils sang the praises of nature and the earth. Several children held up thank you cards for members of the community who are supporting the project both financially and by donating their time.
“Transforming school grounds with strong corporate and community support is one of the best ways to educate on how to protect biodiversity and enhance the overall health of our communities,” says Heather Hamilton, executive co-ordinator of the CBI.
The project will take place over three years. Pathways will be added, lined with shrubs. Seating will be put in so the kids can read outside.
Phase two, planned for spring and fall of 1999, will add monkey bars, swings, a sandbox, playhouse, and games painted on the remaining asphalt.
Iris Baxter, a Grade 3 teacher at the school, says she would like the children to have more than blacktop to play on.
“We put a lot of value on physical education and physical activity, so it would be nice to have the proper environment for them to enjoy themselves outside,” says Baxter.
In May, Coffey conducted a class-by-class survey to determine what the children wanted in their schoolyard. The 240 students decided they’d prefer a variety of activities rather than a stationary play structure.
The project at St. Anthony’s is the first of several planned as demonstration schools in the Ottawa-Carleton area.
“We hope these projects will lead to widespread action on schoolgrounds throughout the whole region,” says Hamilton.