 |
| Ribbon Cutting ceremony on the first day of school |
The
first day of school is always exciting, but last week students at Raymond
Elementary School and Jordan Small Middle School had an especially memorable
event to mark the beginning of their academic year. As the bright September sun
glittered off Panther Pond and Sebago Lake in the distance, students left their
classrooms and walked to a new fenced field behind Raymond Elementary School.
Randy Crockett,
the principal of Raymond Elementary School, welcomed students from both the
elementary and the middle school. After offering his heartfelt thanks to the
community, parents, and local businesses whose generous donations helped with
fundraising events such as last summer’s ice cream social and the annual
holiday pie sale, Crockett described the elementary school’s new playground and
play field.
“We’ve
installed a new balance apparatus,” he told the assembled crowd of teachers,
students, parents, and community members, “as well as a climbing Webscape and
two new sandboxes.”
That
towering blue Webscape, which immediately drew the interest of many of the
children walking past the new playground, has an especially touching story. The
entire structure was made possible by a generous gift from Raymond Elementary
School kindergarten teacher Stephen Seymour, his wife Karen, and their
family. This journalist can confirm that both the balance apparatus and the
climbing Webscape appear to be much more fun than anything found on school
playgrounds when I was growing up.
The
elementary school’s new sandboxes were built as an Eagle Scout project
by Alex Brooks, who was once a student of Raymond Elementary School and now
attends Windham High School. A second Eagle Scout project is planned to replace
the playground’s storage shed that holds jump ropes, sporting equipment, and
sleds.
Principal
Crockett also took time to generously thank the Maine National Guard. Members
of the 262nd Engineer Company (Horizontal), which is based in Westbrook,
did the original earth work to clear the new play field, hauled in over 500
loads of gravel, and turned what had previously been a steep, forested slope
into a grassy, level field.
“It’s
always great to give back to the community that supports us,” Major Kerry Boese of the Maine National
Guard said at the opening ceremony.
Alissa
Messer, a parent volunteer who was instrumental in overseeing the playground’s
construction, emphasized gratitude as she spoke to the students. “This
playground is a labor of love,” she said. “Today, we are grateful for what
we’ve been given.”
As
the crowd applauded enthusiastically, the speakers held out their scissors and
cut a wide, red ribbon, officially opening Raymond Elementary School’s
new playground. The air filled with cheers as the students followed their
teachers for tours of the playground equipment.
If
you’d like to view Raymond Elementary School’s new playground and play
field for yourself, it is open to the public after school hours and on
weekends.
