Bob Acton
A city grant is a boost to Glashan Public School’s schoolyard rejuvenation project.New outdoor art and a new play structure are in the works for Glashan Public School as part of the ongoing refurbishment of its outdoor environment.
The public school, which serves about 400 Grade 7 and 8 students from Centretown, has undergone numerous greening renovations over the past two years, says Angela Keller-Herzog, chair of the Glashan Schoolyard Greening Project.
Some of the changes to the school grounds include additional trees and more seating areas for students.
“One of the issues we’ve had at Glashan is the lack of shade,” says principal Jim Tayler. “These trees are still young trees, but down the road in a few years they will provide the yard with major levels of shade.”
Parents and school officials have been working towards grander plans to transform the greenspace-challenged inner-city middle school.
The public school has also been approved for a $7,500 grant from the City of Ottawa’s Community Partnership Minor Capital Program to go towards a new play structure.
Discussions about the planned new play structure will begin later in the school year, says Tayler.
“We’ve had an incredible amount of community support, which has kept our core green team pretty enthusiastic,” says Keller-Herzog.
In December, the Glebe Community Association donated $2,000 towards the school’s outdoor renovations.
Projects the donation funded include new trees to replace those infested with emerald ash borers, new play surfaces and seated areas, an association press release says.
Tayler says plans for a new outdoor art installation have begun. The piece, he says, will be done in collaboration with a local organization to be revealed later.
The four current murals, the last of which was installed last December, “are spectacular pieces of art completed by students that look like paintings but are actually photographs,” says principal Tayler.
“The concept started last October,” he says.
“The students worked on the actual art pieces for about a total of three weeks and then the process of getting them photographed and mounted took a bit more time.”