New playground to help students spring into school

Sarah Cummins

8/16/2001 12:00:00 AM

As area students return to school, they will find new grounds to conduct their play.

A new playground has been constructed for the Ogemaw Road building of the Saginaw Chippewa Academy Binoojiinh Montessori.

"I'm always excited about the beginning of the year, because it's so much fun when the kids are coming back," stated Leanne Barton, early childhood coordinator.

This year, the first day of school will be on Aug. 28 for all returning students and on Aug. 27 for all new students. There are about 20 new students every year, according to Barton.

Some of the returning children, will have a pleasant surprise, according to Lori Fox, chairperson for the parent teacher organization (PTO).

The new playground will be used by about 100 students who are in pre-primary and transition room classes.

"The money to build the structure was raised independently from Tribal Council," explained Fox.

The PTO organized a variety of fund raisers over the last two years in order to build the new recreation area. Some of the activities, included carnivals, raffles and a pen and keychain sale. A total of $12,575 was used to construct the playground.

The newly purchased items consist of a large play structure, three different slides, a lookout point, three possible points to get onto the structure, an elevated sandbox, a twin rider and a spaceship Columbia. The rider and spaceship are spring-mounted rides for children to bounce on, according to Fox.

Along with playground expansions, the academy is also accepting new preschool students. To qualify, the new students must be three years old by Sept. 1, potty trained and have proof of their Tribal affiliation.

This will be the first year the academy will have eighth-grade-aged students. Future goals, include having the equivalent of a junior high at the academy for students all the way up to ninth grade, according to Barton. Children can begin attending the academy when they are as young as 18 months old.

Because the school is a Montessori, the children are not in individual grades but instead multi-age classrooms. The students are divided into toddler, pre-primary, lower elementary, upper elementary and middle school groups.

The student body is made up of Native American children of various degrees of descent. The Anishinabe culture has been integrated into the curriculum with Ojibwe language classes, mini-powwows and extracurricular dance, drum and art sessions.