Maple Leaf School in Morden has a bright new addition to their outdoor space. A long-awaited new play structure was officially unveiled Monday evening but has already seen a lot of love since the 2018 school year started.

During the first few weeks of school all of the kids wanted to play on the approximately $60,000 structure, so the school gave them designated times which gave everyone a chance. After trying this they realized there will still sometimes 200 students who were set to play on the structure at once, so they have adjusted the schedule to one grade being on the structure at a time.

Linda Marek of the Home & School Advisory Council says, "when administration identified outdoor spaces as a priority, we want to work with them for that. We want kids to enjoy their downtime from the classroom so they can work hard when they're there, and just relax and run it out when they're outside."

Some areas of the building do not have air conditioning, so teachers were also looking for a way to gets kids outside in the fresh air. Benches for outdoor classroom space, as well as other play equipment, are a few of the more recent additions that help keep kids energized and ready to learn when they're in class.

The adults couldn't wait to finish off the ceremony and have a little fun.

"Home & School has been involved in the school for many years. It's a group of parents who care about the school, want to be connected, encourage teachers, and provide input from time to time," says Marek.

The group cannot raise funds for major renovations to the school, or portables, but they are able to give funding for equipment, or field trips. This made the play structure a perfect compromise between what parents, teachers, and students wanted to see happen, as the previous wooden one was deemed 'close to unsafe' within the past few years.

A few different structure options were available, but the decision was made easier thanks to a $15,000 donation from Enbridge.

"Through our community investment program there have  been 2.6 million dollars invested between Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, towards community projects across 80 different communities," says Andrew Plett, Land Agent with Enbridge.

Plett says they were proud to partner with the school on a project that will benefit the community year-round. "We're constructing right nearby, and there's a lot of traffic. We understand that, and we appreciate what Morden has been to Enbridge as a supportive community partner, and it's great to be a part of being able to give back."

Marek adds, the project would not have happened "without literally hundreds of parents buying things, selling things, donating things, [and] without local businesses partnering through gift cards. All of those things may seem insignificant, but when you add it all up, raising $6,000 in one chunk makes a big difference towards a project."