W.E. Gowling Public School is searching for community supporters who can help us make our playground renewal dreams a reality for our students and our entire neighbourhood. Maybe you can be one of our playground hereos?
Both the kinder and senior playstructures at the school have reached the end of their lifecycle. The kinder play structure was removed in April of 2023 becuase of its age and safety concerns. The senior play structure is damaged and faces imminent removal by the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.
The W.E. Gowling School Council must raise the funds to replace both play structures at a combined cost of $300,000. Construction is hoped to begin in the kinder playground in the summer of 2024.
Playgrounds are essential for a student's physical, social, emotional and cognitive development, social development, and foster creative play.
The School Council at W.E.Gowling is ambitious and works hard at many fundraising efforts that are supported by the community, but this playground renewal project carries a daunting price tag.
Many of the families at W.E. Gowling, and surrounding Carlington, live on incomes well below the median for Ottawa. Nearly one in 10 students at our school come from families who are new to Canada, and a significant number of families live in public housing, or require assistance for necessities like clothing, footware and school supplies. Along with those barriers, many children at our school and in our neighbourhood at large don't have access to private greenspace at home or may find it challenging to get to nearby parks.
We aspire to make our new playground a joyful hub for our commuinty. If we can make this goal a reality, this would be a place to welcome and gather children and families from across Carlington on evenings, weekends and all summer long.
We are hoping we can make this a reality with the support of anyone who has a personal connection to W.E.Gowling, this historic Ottawa neighbourhood, who believes in the power of play or who simply wants to be a part of a community-building project. This is a very big goal for a School Council like ours, but we know we can do it with the help of a whole lot of playground heroes, and we hope you'll join us.
For more information, please contact the W.E.Gowling School Counci at sc-wegowlingps@ocdsb.ca