Spoede School Cuts Ribbon on New Playground

The end of the school day is always exciting for students, but Friday the weekend started in a special way for the kids at in Creve Coeur. The students gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the school's new, accessible playground that celebrated the efforts of the many volunteers that made it possible.

The playground, which was funded and matching funds from the school district, was installed by parent volunteers over Spring Break. It has many features that make it accessible to students with disabilities. Among them: aluminum slides that will not interfere with cochlear implants; wheelchair ramps and a spongy surface that is more accessible than mulch; and high decks with plenty of space underneath for autistic children who sometimes need some quiet alone space for playtime.

The main goal of the project was to make the playground inclusive to all kids. "Inclusion is huge," said Ladue Schools Superintendant Dr. Marsha Chappelow, adding that consideration of disabilities is taken seriously inside the school buildings and it was time for that inclusion to extend to the students' play time.