New playground for New Sweden

NEW SWEDEN, Maine — The New Sweden Consolidated School and its teachers, parents and students have been working vigorously for more than six months on a project that would see a brand new playground set built at the school.
Along with the help of Jessica Wilson, who is the parent of a New Sweden student and who was also very integral in the fund-raising process, the staff and many of the parents came together to finish the construction process of the new playground set.
Fund-raising efforts for the playground set began toward the end of 2013, when the idea was put forth to pursue a playground set that would be similar to the one constructed at the Woodland Consolidated School. Along with help from Principal Laurie Spooner, Wilson would spearhead the creation of the new playground committee, which started off with the ultimate goal of raising enough money to buy the playground set, beyond that they would have to wait and see.
“At the beginning of last year I spoke to Principal Spooner about my interest in helping with raising the funds to build a new playground since the existing one is pretty outdated,” said Wilson. “I have to say that I was very inspired by Woodland’s playground, which is only about a year old. They also raised funds to create something similar on their grounds. During the summer we started bringing our children there and it propelled me to want to help to make this happen for kids in New Sweden.”
Despite admittedly having very little prior experience planning projects of this magnitude, Wilson was instrumental in both the vision it took to set the project in motion and the fundraising necessary to turn that vision into something real. She has been at the forefront of the project and continues to offer her skills and knowledge after initiating the process.
“I took a grant writing class during graduate school and have always wanted to help create something with those skills, so I offered to write a grant and to help with organizing the process,” she said. “It’s actually the first time I’ve been this involved in this sort of thing.”
With the leadership and guidance from members of the committee and the vital help provided by a number of involved parents, the community selflessly rallied together to create a safe and enjoyable place for children to play. Wilson and her fellow committee members were not only dedicated to bettering their own children’s lives, but all those children who will be able to share the playground, including any nearby visitors from fellow Union 122 schools.
“I know that the process was started a year or two ago, but never came to fruition, for whatever reason,” said Wilson. “Ever since my youngest child started attending I’ve been impressed by the beauty of the school and the variety of activities available within such a small academic environment. I feel the children need a playground to match the quality of the school.”
Whether it was the volunteers who attended fund-raising events or those who hosted the events, Wilson explained that everyone involved displayed a dedicated effort that she considered worthy of praise.
“This was definitely a joint effort between committed parents and teaching staff, many of whom also have children attending the school, who will benefit,” said Wilson. “We had a lot of people interested in making this happen and they have received a great deal of support from community members willing to donate time and know-how to actually install the set and handle the necessary landscaping.”
The New Sweden School served a Swedish-themed dinner prior to their annual St. Lucia Celebration. Donations were accepted at the dinner and the Caribou Masonic Lodge matched the fundraiser’s earnings by donating $500, while the New Sweden Homemakers Extension also made a generous donation of $1,000. Committee member Jennifer Holmes, the school’s music teacher and parent of two children attending the school, was able to submit and secure a $5,000 grant from Lowe’s, the store where the committee purchased the set.