I LOVE THIS SCHOOL!

As many of you have probably seen, our new playgrounds are just about ready for our WES students. The play areas have been completely renovated and are brand new, safe and most importantly of all - full of exciting and challenging new equipment.

Earlier this week I visited our students playing on the new kindergarten playground and they were very excited to finally be able to swing on the swings and climb on the monkey bars, (even though it was a little chilly out) after several weeks of watching the construction through their classroom windows. It was great to see their smiling faces as they tried out the new equipment.

Yesterday, as I watched students using the new equipment on the other playground behind the school, I was excited by what I saw, but I was most impressed by what I heard. A student was running from one new piece of equipment to another screaming, “I LOVE THIS SCHOOL!” Normally, we educators are supposed to frown at screaming, but I think I can make an exception this one time!

I would like to thank Kate Smith and all of the members of our Playground Committee - Shannon Quinlivan, Kelly Webster, Don Stevens, Toni DeFilippo, Katrina Davis, Kelly Gilchrist, Stacey Clermont and Ben Roberts - for all of the hard work that they have done to make these new playgrounds a reality. I know our students appreciate it.

There are still a few more details and other renovations (including our new softball fields) that remain at WES, but we are in the final stretch (which I know will make Mrs. O’Brien very happy!)

The comprehensive capital improvement of our schools and facilities is ongoing and the main focus will now move to the WJSHS campus. It is the work of groups like the playground committee and our facilities task force that make these projects fully inclusive and true community endeavors.

As soon as the final touches are completed at WES we will be holding a ribbon cutting and public tours. We want everyone in the community to echo the sentiments of the excited student that I watched yesterday in saying, “WE LOVE THIS SCHOOL!”

Please watch our web site and WVLT for information about this event.