Joyful shouts rang through the classrooms and hallways of Blessed Sacrament School in Alexandria earlier this month when students heard over the loudspeaker that their new playground would be open for lunch recess. It was the culmination of a 15-month stretch of sacrifices, plans, fundraising and approvals.
The parish community celebrated the playground’s public debut Sept. 16 when Father John D. Kelly, pastor, blessed the structure and its hues of blue and yellow that reflect the school’s colors. Immediately afterward, the parish hosted its Oktoberfest-themed fall festival for the first time since 2019.
“I especially want to thank our parents, our grandparents, our parish members, people from the community at large for all of their generosity to make our new playground a reality,” Father Kelly said before the blessing. He also thanked Principal Kate Chelak and Assistant Principal Aránzazu Ascunce, who spearheaded the project.
“It’s a completely joyful moment,” Chelak said after the blessing, as The Edelweiss Band’s live German oompah music blared from nearby speakers. “To finally see what we’ve been planning and working on and fundraising for for over a year come to fruition is amazing.”
When school let out for the 2021 summer, students and faculty collectively exhaled following the first full academic year with pandemic restrictions and hiccups. Not long after, school officials reached the difficult conclusion that the current playground must be razed for safety reasons. Students returned that fall with only the blacktop for recess and mounds of dirt cordoned off with black-and-yellow construction tape where the old playground once stood.
“Everybody was really patient while the construction was going on,” said Lacye Tennille, current PTO president, who has been involved with the school for eight years. “But it’s really been worth it.”
Parents were surveyed and swings were a top priority, according to Ascunce. So the playground features eight standalone swings. An open layout lets students transition more easily from one area to another, while lower play structures and fewer stairs makes it more accessible to all. In addition to parishioners, school parents and diocesan officials, she credits the surrounding community with helping the project over the top.
“I’m really proud of the fact that everyone came together in a nontraditional way,” she said. “Everyone’s thrilled.”
“We’re so impressed,” said Mary Kate Sparrow, a longtime school parent. She described the playground as an anchor for the parish to build community and to allow people to get to know one another after Mass, a notion that Susan Hodges, a fellow school parent, seconded.
“It was really missing last year and you could feel it,” Sparrow said. “The fact that it’s back is such a blessing for the school and parish.”
Schweers can be reached at [email protected].
