Horace Mann Elementary School dedicated its new playground on Wednesday morning with a ceremony to celebrate the playground’s completion at the beginning of the school year.
A plaque was unveiled during the ceremony to dedicate the playground and honor the generous $50,000 donation Bendix Corporation made toward the project earlier this year. Officials from Bendix Corporation were present to participate in the dedication ceremony.
The new playground, installed this summer, will be able to be used by all Horace Mann students, something the old playground set could not offer according to Horace Mann Essential Skills teacher Macy Phillips.
“The inclusion piece means that it’s inclusive for all children regardless of their ability, their age, their background, and it gives them the same opportunities to explore and to discover and achieve during play,” Phillips said.
According to Phillips, the old playground was not safe, as it lacked ramps and featured step-offs, drop-offs, holes, mulch and uneven concrete. The new playground eliminated those problems, making it safe and usable for everyone.
Among the notable features of the new playground are ramps, canopies and a poured-in-place rubber surface.