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Up in a day: New playground emerges at Upper St. Clair school

By Harry Funk staff Writer hfunk@thealmanac.Net 3 min read
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Harry Funk / The Almanac

Steve Baker of Snider Recreation Inc. leads the playground construction project.

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Harry Funk / The Almanac

Adam Beck installs a piece of equipment.

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Harry Funk / The Almanac

Rocky Saporito helps with construction.

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Harry Funk / The Almanac

Ryan Casciani smooths over wet concrete upon which a journalist wearing size-14 shoes inadvertently trod.

Quite the transformation took place in a single day behind Upper St. Clair’s Baker Elementary School.

“This playground used to hold six kids. There were six swings on it. A teacher had to stand there and watch six kids,” Kristie Proud explained amid a flurry of activity involving people, plans and tools. “Now this new playground can have 50 kids at a time on it.”

Harry Funk / The Almanac

Harry Funk / The Almanac

Karly Foster lends a hand by transporting concrete mix.

As Baker’s immediate past PTA president, she led a two-year project that involved raising $60,000.

The efforts culminated July 17 with a one-day community build that produced a sight that youngsters are going to love to see, featuring what Proud described as “a climbing structure with an ‘American Ninja Warrior’ sort of feel to it, where you can go from one thing to the next without touching the ground at all.”

The new amenities solve a logistical issue at the school, which already had a large-scale playground. The problem was that its location is on the other side of the building from the cafeteria, and with students heading out to recess right after lunch, time didn’t really allow for them to walk all the way over, receive sufficient recreation and then return.

Meanwhile, the six-swing setup was right outside the cafeteria, but relatively few youngsters could use it.

The solution of constructing a whole new playground on that spot came from a group of high school students. Brian McGrady, CJ Stott, Neale Misquitta and Mac Dominic since have graduated, but in the fall of 2016, presented the recommendation as part of a class focusing on STEAM: science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.

Harry Funk / The Almanac

Harry Funk / The Almanac

Patrick McClintock-Comeaux, Baker Elementary School principal, tightens bolts on a playground structure.

“As the parents and adults, we kept thinking, how can we improve the playground that’s already there?” Proud recalled. “Then they said, ‘Why don’t you change around this playground here.’ And everyone was like, ‘Huh. We never thought of that.’ So it was amazing to see these young people completely redesign the way that all of the kids at Baker will be having recess.”

She led a committee that raised the necessary money and reviewed project bids, deciding to work with Ohio-based Snider Recreation Inc. For the community build, Snider staff Steve Baker, a Butler County resident, led an installation crew that consisted mainly of parents of the school’s students.

“We really wanted this to be something that the community could all come together and do.” Lindsay Beck, incoming PTA president, said. “We are so excited to finally be able to see our hard work pay off. Our families have given so generously to this project, and we can’t wait for everyone to see the finished product, especially the kids.”

Harry Funk / The Almanac

Harry Funk / The Almanac

Corey DePuy reviews playground plans.

Fundraising for the project – the 20-year-old existing playground is getting a face lift, too – included a Read-A-Thon, which challenged students to read as much as they could during a 10-day period, and a Monkey Bars and Memories event for adults in November that brought in $20,000. A “Buy a Brick” program provided families and sponsors with an opportunity to have their names displayed at the new playground, where a ribbon-cutting ceremony and celebration is scheduled for 4 p.m. Aug. 23.

“It’s been fantastic, too, that everybody comes together to give our kids a good place to play,” Patrick McClintock-Comeaux, Baker principal, said. “It’s actually a big part of their development. This gives them a way to do not just the physical part, but a lot of the social interactions that we might miss inside, they’re able to develop out here.”

Harry Funk / The Almanac

Harry Funk / The Almanac

The 20-year-old playground at Baker Elementary School is receiving a face lift.

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