Unique play area challenges students

Posted on: Nov 12, 2018

From climbing ropes to cargo nets and never-before-seen features, students at Delano Intermediate School are enjoying a unique new play and fitness space courtesy of Landscape Structures.

Students began using the new equipment during the last week of October, and what they found is unlike any other playground around.

“Obstacle courses and ninja courses are super popular right now based on TV shows, so we developed this line called Fitcore Extreme that is designed to be challenging for kids,” said Jill Dunning-Harris of Landscape Structures. “Kids are going to have to work and come back to it multiple times and try to conquer all the different challenges.”

Delano Intermedia School Principal Barry Voight said the unique design met the wishes of students who were informally surveyed to find out what sort of playspace was most age-appropriate.

“It was obvious through those survey results that kids wanted open space, kids wanted free play, and that they were less reliant on play structures – the age-old playground equipment like swings and slides,” said Voight. “Some of the things that came out very strongly in the survey as wishes were things like parkour, ninja courses and climbing apparatuses.”

Check, check and check.

The FitCore Extreme portion of the playspace is set up so a user can run from one obstacle to the next in an “S” pattern until reaching the final challenge: climbing a rope straight up and ringing a bell.

“But kids can do any challenge they want. When you have a whole class of kids out there everybody just goes to whatever station happens to be available,” said Dunning-Harris. “It can certainly accommodate lots of kids, so we thought it was great for a school environment. And hopefully the PE teachers will be able to incorporate some of that equipment into their curriculum for fitness training or exciting challenges.”

Mutual benefits

Some of the equipment is so cutting edge that it cannot be described in detail until official rollout dates some months away. While Landscape Structures donated all of the equipment and installation at no cost to the school district, Dunning-Harris said there are benefits to the company as well.

“We are part of this Delano community and want to support it as best we can,” she said. “It’s also a great opportunity for us to either set up new equipment or to test some prototypes close by so we can watch how kids use the equipment and learn from it for future project development.”

Delano students were also photographed for the company’s marketing materials that highlight the new equipment.

The intermediate playspace is far from the only time Landscape Structures has gifted the school district and community with unique equipment, but again Dunning-Harris said the benefit was mutual.

“We have a lot of customers who come here to visit our plant and take tours, and then we like to take them to the different locations in Delano to show off some of the playground equipment we’ve installed,” she said. “It’s such a spectacular site at the intermediate school with the new school in the background and the playground sitting up on the hill. It was just the perfect environment to be able to showcase some of that new equipment.”

The school district covered the cost of site preparation and the bouncy, rubbery surface that creates a relatively safe landing ground for falls or jumps. The final product, complete with colors that complement the DIS theme, is enough to make passers-by stop and look again.

“Even the contractors that put it in are saying, ‘Man, playgrounds have come a long way,’ because it’s pretty impressive stuff,” said Voight. “We deferred a lot to Landscape Structures’ expertise. They’re the world’s best playground manufacturer, so we basically outlined what the desires of students were, and then let them do their magic.”

Voight said the company’s positive impact is not limited to donations, either.

“They’re fantastic people. They are a true asset to our community,” he said. They’ve not only been good to Delano schools and the community through their equipment donations, but they also work with our schools to help bring engineering into the classroom.”

“We’re just so happy to have great partners in the Delano school district and have it work well for both parties,” said Dunning-Harris.

Post Categories: Intermediate School