Trinity school to get new playground

By Sean Feagan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Trinity Christian Academy in Strathmore will be getting a new playground, thanks to fundraising efforts, an anonymous donation and a grant from the province.

Trinity Christian Academy (TCA), part of Golden Hills School Division, launched about a decade ago. According to principal Stefan Dykema, the school has outgrown its current playground equipment.

“We started with just over 65 kids, but over the course of the past 10 years, we’ve seen significant growth (and) we’re just under 200 kids now,” he said. “When the playground was built and designed, it was for a much lower capacity.”

As a result, there have been ongoing efforts to raise funds for new equipment, including a garage sale, a private showing at the Joyland Theatre and a silent auction. These efforts, combined with an anonymous donation of $15,000, secured $125,000 for the new playground.

Looking to gain additional funds, the playground committee started to apply for grant funding. The school was awarded a Community Facility Enhancement Program grant, through which the province provides matching funds to build or upgrade recreational or cultural facilities. Combined with the school’s own contribution, there is now $250,000 available for the playground.

The Minister of Culture, Multiculturalism and Status of Women and Chestermere-Strathmore MLA Leela Aheer, who was present for the Nov. 13 announcement via a Zoom call, acknowledged the number of people responsible for securing the funding. 

“It takes a lot of work,” said Aheer. “It takes a lot of fundraising, it takes a lot from families and your parents, your teachers and your trustees and your principal – all of the people who are involved in helping build this playground for this to actually happen.”

Securing the funds means the school will get new equipment sooner than anticipated.

“When we started, we thought it would be a multi-year process,” said Dykema. “But within two years, to be able to access $250,00 is an incredible testament to the strength of our community.”

Construction of the playground is being scheduled for Summer 2021. The existing playground will be kept in place.

A short-list of companies are being considered for its design. 

“Through our committee, we will decide which one works best for our community,” noted Dykema, adding that students will have a say in what features will be included in the playground, through surveys and classwork. “We want to include them as part of the process and make sure they’re excited about it too.”

But some aspects of the playground have been decided already. 

“We are looking at having a playground that incorporates all different types of play movement,’’ said Dykema. “So, having areas of equipment that move, having climbing, having structure, having sliding – really having a very versatile playground for all of our students.”