From left: Jeff Charles of Compro Installations; Father Joseph Schlafer, pastor of St. Joseph’s Church; Cathy McGuire, school board representative; Marie Murphy, president of the School Board; Patricia Devine, principal; and little Claire McGuire put shovels to the ground. Amid a gaggle of enthusiastic onlookers, St. Joseph School had an official groundbreaking for a new playground on Tuesday, August 17. Those present included Father Joseph Schlafer, pastor of St. Joseph Church; Ms. Patricia Devine, school principal; Cathy McGuire, chair of the playground project for the school board; and Marie Murphy, the 2004-2005 president of the St. Joseph School Board.

Children watching the old playground set came down each received a small piece of the metal as a souvenir. Cathy McGuire worked with Craig Heslin of Landscape Structures to design a state-of-the-art playground system together with safety surfacing. Jeff Charles of Compro Installations dismantled the old structure and will be installing the new construction on the same site on the convent lawn. Elementary education students can look forward to their new playground within the next month, when shipment of the equipment is expected.

From left, back row: Father Joe, Jeff Charles, Craig Heslin of Landscape Structures, Ms. Devine and Emily Tompsett. From left, front row: Nora Bennett, John Murphy, Brynne Murphy, May Bennett, Edward Bennett, Claire McGuire, Julia McGuire, Madeline McGuire, Darcy McGuire and Tony Bennett.