Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Junior-K student Travis Stokes, 5, momentarily found the party noisemakers too loud for his taste at the St. Andrew's School playground festivities.
St. Andrew's students plant daffodil bulbs in new field
By Rebecca Ray
Students at St. Andrew's School received an early Christmas present this year. On Dec. 12, the school celebrated the opening day of its new playground and renovated west field, which is on the corner of Saratoga Avenue and Crestbrook Drive.
San Carlos Landscape and Construction, which began building and landscaping the site in July, replaced basketball courts and a metal play structure with a jungle gym, a swing set, two new basketball courts, two tetherball poles, a walkway, electrical outlets, irrigation and new landscaping.
The company also created a new entryway, planted an oak tree beside it and paved the creek-side path between the school and the field. Subcontractor George Martin from G.M. Construction constructed a building that contains rest rooms and storage rooms for play equipment and first-aid supplies.
"We're really excited," said board of trustees member Jody Wheeler. "It's a beautiful playground for future generations to enjoy, and it's beautiful for the community to see."
Parents raised most of the $400,000- 500,000 during last year's spring fundraiser and by donating money to last year's annual giving campaign, an auction that Wheeler co-chaired.
At the ceremony, balloons bearing the school colors--blue and white--were tied to the new play structures and basketball courts.
The ceremony began with the Rev. Tina Sundquist of St. Andrew's Church leading all 455 preschoolers through eighth-graders, and their teachers, from the lower school playground at the back of the school that preschoolers and kindergartners use, down the new creek-side path, across the field and to the new playground, which was built for first- through eighth-graders. After the students gathered on the new basketball courts, Sundquist said a prayer and blessed the new playground with holy water.
Next, head of the school Harry V. McKay Jr., urged everyone to applaud the people who raised money, and then presented Bill Healy from San Carlos Landscape and Construction and Rebecca Coffman from Designworks Architects, the firm that designed the site, with St. Andrews sweatshirts. After speeches by Kathy Schmidt, president of the Parent Association Board, and Wheeler, who acknowledged project manager and board of trustees member Harley Gray, McKay honored Saratoga City Councilman and parent Nick Streit.
"I think [the new playground] is just a great thing for the whole community and that it makes a statement, not only to those who contributed with time and talents, but to those who made monetary contributions as well," said Dave Schmidt, co-chair of last year's annual giving campaign.
After the speeches, one student from each of the 28 classes planted a daffodil bulb in the new children's garden area. Later, the rest of the children will plant daffodil bulbs.
After Chaplain Alison Lucas said a closing prayer, seventh-grader Adam Gidaszewski played a drum roll, McKay cut the red ribbon that surrounded the jungle gym, and the students blew noisemakers.
"It's great to see something that was worked so hard for, through the parents, school administration, fundraisers and Saratoga Planning Department," said Laure Cardinale, publicity chairwoman for the Parent Association Board.
Both play areas are wheelchair-accessible. Ramps, as well as steps, lead up to the walkway, and ramps lead down to both play areas. Wheelchairs can also roll on the new playground fiber that was approved by the ADA. In addition, the jungle gym, which contains rings, slides, a tunnel, a pole, a rope ladder, climbing structures and bars, has wheelchair-accessible pieces.
Before the construction workers laid out the 50,000 bricks for the walkway, students put objects that are meaningful to them, such as Beanie Babies and Harry Potter accessories, and objects that signify the turn of this century, such a cellular phone and a pager, in a plastic container and buried it in the ground.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
