A new outdoor learning pavilion unveiled this September at Goderich, Ont.鱿鱼视频app St. Mary鱿鱼视频app Catholic Elementary School symbolizes the community鱿鱼视频app commitment to the town鱿鱼视频app boast that it is Canada鱿鱼视频app prettiest town.
鈥淭hat pavilion to me ... symbolizes what a community can do when it pulls together,鈥� said Vince Trocchi, St. Mary鱿鱼视频app principal. 鈥淭here is community pride and this school is a big part of the community and that鱿鱼视频app why it is important to them. It looks just beautiful out in our yard.鈥�
For the past three years the local parent council had been working towards upgrading the school鱿鱼视频app outdated playground. When opportunity to partner with the school board to build an outdoor learning pavilion came up, it seemed like a natural fit.
With the board offering to match funds raised for a pavilion, which costs between $20,000 and $25,000, the St. Mary鱿鱼视频app Parent Council turned to members of the picturesque community on the shores of Lake Huron to meet its $10,000 fundraising goal. Most of the money was gathered during the last school year.
鈥淭he board matched our fundraising efforts and what you see is the fruits of our labour in our yard and family and students just absolutely love it,鈥� said Trocchi.
St. Mary鱿鱼视频app is one of 12 schools across the Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board to partner with the board to build the pavilions.
鈥淲e did it on a phase-in process because obviously the dollars needed to be allocated on a yearly basis,鈥� said Martha Dutrizac, director of education of the Huron-Perth board. 鈥淲e worked with our schools to put a plan in place that would give them the time necessary to collect their dollars.鈥�
Funding from the board鱿鱼视频app end came from the capital projects鈥� budget, said Dutrizac. Once the school鱿鱼视频app collected cash, bids to begin construction were sought from local contractors.
The pavilions will be used not only during instructional time but also after hours by the community, provided the intended usage doesn鈥檛 conflict with Catholic values. In Goderich not only did the townspeople get behind the project, but the municipality itself offered its support.
鈥淥ur custodian made some contacts with people and they hamade some arrangement that (we could use tables that would be stored for the winter) during the school year when tables wouldn鈥檛 be in high demand,鈥� said Trocchi. 鈥淚t鱿鱼视频app a win-win for everyone. They don鈥檛 need to store it somewhere (because) we鈥檙e actually using it and we win because there are really nice tables in our pavilion.鈥�
Trocchi believes if he were to have called on the community again to furnish the pavilion there is no question it would have responded with open wallets.
鈥淲e are very pleased that we have this great partnership with our municipality and we are very grateful that they were able to do this for us,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was one of those things that, yeah, we probably could have raised the money for it but we have a wonderful community that is willing to help us save those dollars for other items.
鈥淚鈥檓 really proud of the way this community has pulled together to help make these kinds of things happen.鈥�