It took a few seconds for dignities to officially cut the ribbon to unveil Sansome School's new playground enhancements earlier this fall, but the path to renewal unfolded over four years thanks to the dedication of many community partners.
Parent Advisory Council Treasurer Kelly Cassie has been involved in the Sansome School Play Space Renewal Project since the initiative began.
“I think we are just very grateful and fortunate to have the kind of community backing that we had to make this a reality," she says. “Everyone contributed."
Principal Henrietta Hoch says the project started with an inspection of the old wooden structure, which was approximately 50 years old. While it had been repaired many times, the wood was starting to rot, and it was time to replace it.
“The Parent Council just rolled up our sleeves and got to work," she says.
From creative fundraising ideas to seeking out grants, the PAC pulled together nearly $340,000 to cover all phases of the project, including close to $115,000 through school fundraisers and online donations, $100,000 from a Provincial grant, just over $80,000 from the Westwood Child Care Centre, $20,000 from the Community Incentive Grant, with the assistance of Charleswood – Tuxedo – Westwood City Councillor Evan Duncan, $15,000 from the Winnipeg Foundation, and $10,000 from Board Office outdoor grants.
Principal Hoch says student voice has been a key part of the project.
“The students have been involved right from the start," she explains, adding that student feedback was compiled and sent to Landscape Architects during the design phase. “Swings were number one."
Swings, Landscaping, and Accessibility
The first phase of the project involved improvements to the grounds and adding swings. This work wrapped up last fall and included
six swings, an accessible bucket swing, two berms, naturalized seating, an accessible hill, accessible gravel pathways, a buddy bench, an accessible outdoor theatre, and numerous trees, shrubs, and rocks.
New Play Structure
The remaining work wrapped up this September, and involved removing the old play structure and excavating the pea gravel around both the old structure and an existing dark green play structure from the early 2000s From there, a new lime green play structure was constructed that includes ropes, platforms, climbing structures, a slide, and monkey bars. The pea gravel was replaced with a softer engineered wood chip.
A Communication Board was also installed to support students with communication barriers such as speech delays or non-verbal presentations.
"It all came together thanks to the dedication of the parent council, the past president, and the current council," adds Principal Hoch, adding that the PAC is already looking for their next project.
Thank Yous, School Assembly, and New Play Space Projects
Students expressed appreciation for their new play space at an assembly and ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 28, 2026. All students took part in a choral performance to thank dignitaries led by Music Teacher Shannon Moses. The students of Rachel McKenzie's Room 10 class also unveiled a thank you banner. Students presented members of the Parent Council with flowers, and a number of classes decorated hand-prints used in the ribbon cutting.
Dignitaries in attendance included Superintendent/CEO Jenness Moffatt, MLA Logan Oxenham, Past PAC President Kailey Mymrk—who all provided remarks—as well as Assistant Superintendent Jaime Siska; West Ward Trustees Cheryl Smukowich, Fiona Shiells, and Sandy Lethbridge; City Councillor Evan Duncan; Lincoln Middle School Vice Principal Chris Mavroudis; Landscape Architect representative Wendy Simonson; and other Parent Council representatives including President Kara Booth, Treasurer Kelly Cassie, and Vice President Emily Tully.
Sansome isn't the only school in SJASD revitalizing playgrounds. This past July, the Province announced a $3 million investment in playground infrastructure through their Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities Play Structure Fund. Buchanan School ($97,500) and Crestview School ($97,500) were one of 43 playground projects throughout Manitoba that will receive funding to support the development of safe, accessible, and high-quality playgrounds.
