New playground equipment at Assiginack thanks to partnership

New playground equipment was unveiled at Assiginack Public School thanks to the leadership of the School Council, a very generous donation from the Southeast Manitoulin Lions Club, support from the Township of Assiginack, and donations from several local individuals and businesses. Participating in the ribbon cutting ceremony were, from left, School Council Chair Mark Kuntsi, Principal Wayne Murdock, Student Council rep Victoria Pitawanakwat, Kindergarten student Cord Hughson, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Sharon Speir, Director of Education Jean Hanson, Southeast Manitoulin Lion Bill Smith, Reeve Les Fields and Rainbow District School Board Trustee Larry Killens. The ceremony was another milestone in a long list of accomplishments for Assiginack Public School in Manitowaning.

New playground equipment was unveiled at Assiginack Public School the evening of Wednesday, September 16, 2009 thanks to the leadership of the School Council, a very generous donation from the Southeast Manitoulin Lions Club, support from the Township of Assiginack, and donations from several local individuals and businesses.

Rainbow District School Board Trustee Larry Killens, Director of Education Jean Hanson, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Sharon Speir, School Council Chair Mark Kuntsi, Lion Bill Smith, Assiginack Township Reeve Les Fields and Principal Wayne Murdock joined Student Council member Victoria Pitawanakwat and Kindergarten student Cord Hughson for the ribbon cutting ceremony. The ceremony, which marked the official opening of the playground structure, was another milestone in a long list of accomplishments for Assiginack Public School in Manitowaning.

“This project is a template and example for others which I hope translates into a challenge to all communities,” said Trustee Larry Killens. “Great things happen when people work together towards a common goal.”

Assiginack Public School and its School Council have been focused on playground improvement since 2003. “The first phase of our playground improvement was completed when our activity court was built in 2004,” said Principal Wayne Murdock. “The second phase was in 2008 when the soccer field was completed. With the tremendous support of the Southeast Manitoulin Lions Club, we are now celebrating our new playground structure, which is the third phase of our playground improvement plan,” he said.

Assiginack Public School Principal Wayne Murdock thanked Assiginack  School Council, the Southeast Manitoulin Lions Club, the Township of Assiginack and the Rainbow District School Board for their efforts and applauded everyone  for their generous contributions. 

The playground committee, School Council members Mark Kuntsi and Lianne Hovingh looked at various structures from different companies and presented their findings in August to Lion Harold Clarke of the Southeast Manitoulin Lions Club, Assiginack Township Reeve Les Fields, Gerald Lovelace of the Rainbow District School Board and Principal Murdock.  The committee decided on a Little Tykes Commercial Playground, met with Melissa Sheridan from CRCS Recreation, and put the playground structure in place within a month of adopting the final plan.

“The children and families of Assiginack Public School and our community are very excited about the new playground  structure,” said School Council Chair Mark Kuntsi.  “This playground will serve the students of Assiginack Public School and the families and children of our community for many years to come.” He added:  “I would like to thank everyone who supported us with this project, especially the Southeast Manitoulin Lions Club.”

Assiginack Township Reeve Les Fields said “when school organizations and groups are able to combine forces and resources to provide fun and challenging play for our children in a safe environment, we know without a doubt that we are contributing positively to the well being of healthy, active children, their families and our community.”

The new playground structure will lead to further improvements, including park benches for parents to enjoy the playground with their children, perhaps a gazebo, and the planting of trees for shade.

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Media Contact:

Wayne Murdock, Assiginack Public School,
Rainbow District School Board, 705-360-7010.