Ayear ago, the Drum Point Road Elementary School playground was in desperate need of a face-lift. Rusted swings and slides sat on sand littered with glass and trash.
PHOTOS BY DANIELLE MEDINA A gazebo and amphitheater are just two of the new improvements at the Drum Point Elementary School’s playground. Below, Ocean County Sheriff’s Officer Vincent Santaniello and his dog Logan visit some students during an outdoor program. Today, that playground has been transformed into a recreation jewel that will benefit the school’s students and the entire community, thanks to a joint effort between the township, the Board of Education and the Drum Point PTA.
“My hope is that each person will look at the space and envision what the space can be for them,” said Principal Susan Genco. “The opportunities to think outside the box are endless.”
The playground features a meandering path that leads from the school’s building to a gazebo and small amphitheater, which can seat the entire student body of the school, or about 200 adults. Kirk Danielson of T&M Associates, Middletown, designed the playground.
New equipment, including a large jungle gym and swings, now sits on bonded rubber safety surfacing.
Along the pathway, there are “academic pods,” made of stone arranged in a circular pattern that are directly accessible from the school’s classrooms and can be used for instructional purposes, weather permitting.
On the other side of the pathway, small dirt areas have purposefully been left empty so that the students may use them to plant their own vegetation in conjunction with their science classes.
New greenery dots the landscape and new fencing surrounds the perimeter.
The school’s parking lot was repaved and reconfigured as part of the renovation. That added 23 new parking spaces and a student drop-off area.
The total cost of the project was $950,000 and was financed, in part, through grants and fundraising by the school’s PTA.
“We even got a grant for the trees,” said Genco.
The new space – most of which was previously unused – allows the school to enhance and expand its curriculum, she said.
Teachers and students took advantage of the new resource immediately following the playground’s ribbon-cutting ceremony on Nov. 1.
“I was worried about holding their attention but they were so intrigued to be in the amphitheater,” said fourth-grade teacher Courtney Parks, whose class put on a cultural heritage play. “They were so much more animated. They were performing. It really promoted that different sense of literacy.”
Whether it’s an art class sketching fall foliage or a language arts class getting a demonstration by a police dog, the new playground is already changing instruction at Drum Point.
“It really is a good change of pace for the kids,” said basic skills teacher Michelle Marziarz.
When the school and the Police Athletic League aren’t using the facility, the playground will be open to the public, Genco said.
The playground is located close to Emma Havens Young Elementary School, across the street from the Police Athletic League and adjacent to the Drum Point Sports Complex.
The site is equipped with 24-hour video surveillance and is connected to the police department.
“Hopefully, this project will encourage other departments in town to share services to benefit the whole community,” Genco said.