From left: Hubert Duffis, Minister Ardwell Irion, Jose Sommers, Gwendolyn Holiday and MLK pupils (centre).
DUTCH QUARTER–Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) School held the official opening of the new cycle one playground on Friday, December 13.
The cutting of the ribbon was performed by MLK manager Hubert Duffis, interim Minister of Education Culture, Youth and Sports (ECYS) Ardwell Irion, Head of Public Education Gwendolyn Holiday, Jose Sommers of the Foresee (4C) Foundation and two MLK pupils.
The new playground features equipment suitable for children ages three to six years. Among the equipment are swings, a slide, monkey bars and a climbing wall.
Sommers, a former physical education (PE) teacher, expressed her love for playgrounds in her address. She said that during the initial planning of the project the PE teachers of MLK had been instrumental in the selection of the equipment and design of the playground. She concluded her address by expressing her hope that the school would make the playground available for the enjoyment of children in the Dutch Quarter community.
Holiday said she was pleased to see the newly-installed playground and thanked the school manager and teachers for their involvement in the project. She hoped that all future schools could someday receive new playgrounds through a continued partnership with 4C Foundation.
Irion said that although he might not have been a part of the project from the start, he was happy to be present for the opening. He shared with the pupils that during his days in college he often had utilised playgrounds similar to that one to carry out his daily exercise. He spoke of the benefits of playgrounds and their use to keep oneself healthy. He later challenged pupils to a friendly competition on the monkey bars to showcase their skills.
Pupils showed Sommers their appreciation for the new playground with a presentation of special handmade cards and through song performances.
The school thanked 4C Foundation and Sommers for making the project possible.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/93302-martin-luther-king-school-opens-a-new-playground
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