Work starts to level Cascade school’s first playing field |21 September 2023
Shania Monthy delivering a vote of thanks
Shrieks of joy from Cascade primary pupils reverberated across the school’s compound yesterday as work started to level a playing field there.
A first truck load of red soil fromthe United Concrete Products Seychelles (UCPS) was delivered yesterday to level the small playing field at the back of the school which the pupils will use for physical and extra-curricular activities after so many years without such a facility.
It was part of sponsorship with the participation of Hari Builders as well as parents to complete the playing field.
“I am so happy that we will be getting a better and proper playing field to play on. The current field is not level and it was difficult for us to play football on the small flat part that we had to play on. When it rains it gets very muddy. I like football and when the playing field will be ready we will be able to do our football tests and running tests. We very much appreciate what they are doing for us,” said 10-year-old Leandro Lesperance from P5.
The soil was a donation from UCSP from its quarry to level the playing field. It was the manager of UCPS, Andre Boys, who handed over the truckload of soil to the school in a short ceremony held at the latter’s premises.
Present were the head teacher, Barbara Medor, the school’s management, teachers, students, parents and staff of UCPS.
It was the school that made the request for sponsorship.
Upon receiving the soil, some parents who were present voluntarily offered their services using their own vehicles (a pick-up truck and excavator owned by two among the parents present) to transport, lay and level the soil on the playing field.
Addressing the gathering, Ms Medor said the donation of the red soil has come at an opportune time as the school is in the process of tackling obesity and promoting a healthy lifestyle among the pupils.
She noted that the laying out of a playing field is a tremendous and expensive undertaking that cannot be accomplished by the school alone, “therefore we had to seek sponsorship from UCPS for the completion of our playing field for effective delivery of the physical education curriculum.
“The donation is a bridge to the pupil’s future. Your generosity will further our mission in promoting physical education in the school thus making a difference in the lives of the pupils,” Ms Medor said.
Ms Medor said that after levelling the next stage is to plant grass on the field.
She called on parents or organisations who would like to give a helping hand to get in touch with the school so as to complete the playing field in the earliest time possible.
She stated that the next project in line will be the construction of a multipurpose court.
She thanked UCPS, the parents and other sponsors for their generous gestures made towards the school.
For his part, Mr Boys said that the company was honoured and privileged to have had the chance to participate in such a project for the benefit of the pupils.
He added that the donation is significant to UCPS for just being able to be supportive of a very practical need in the community and it is a great investment from the company in the future of the youths.
“I want to say to the boys and girls here that this small gesture from UCPS will help you to practice and work hard so that one day you might be able to represent Seychelles in your respective disciplines. I know that primary schools play an important role in the education of our children here in Seychelles and sports as well as leading a healthy lifestyle go a long way in promoting that,” Mr Boys said.
In an interview with the press, the school’s physical education teacher, Anna Barra, said that it has been over four years since the school has been trying to lay out a playing field for the pupils. She noted that the school does not have a proper area to conduct outdoor physical education and most are held indoors or outside on a concrete slab, which poses a danger in the event of a fall, or they had to travel to the Cascade community centre with only P3 to P6 pupils to use the multi-purpose court and nearby playing field. Being too small to travel long distances, crèche to P2 pupils do their physical education indoors or on the concrete outside on the school compound.
“This playing field will be a great help in that we will not have to travel a long distance for physical education classes. Most of the time the pupils have nothing to do to enjoy themselves and with this playing field they will get to enjoy themselves and be very active. I think the whole school is overjoyed,” said Ms Barra, who noted that the playing field will bring them at par with other schools in terms of facilities for children to participate actively.
Concrete bases from former old classrooms were removed to make way for the small playing field.
The short ceremony yesterday started with a reflection by the pupils. It was P6 pupil Shania Monthy, 11 years old, who gave a vote of thanks on behalf of her peers.
The accompanying photos show some highlights of yesterday’s ceremony.
Text & photos by Patrick Joubert
