Funding will enhance kids' safety
At the school Tuesday, a number of community groups provided funding to help the school purchase eight thick mats that will be positioned against the walls in the gymnasium to provide a cushion for students who are playing basketball and other sports. The addition of the mats will help enhance student safety at the school.
The mats help prevent head injuries or other types of mishaps that can occur when youth are participating in sports.
Community Foundation of Portage and District donated $2,000, a donation was also received from Portage Rotary Club for $250 and the LVS Parent Advisory Council kicked in the balance of the costs.
The total costs of the mats is about $4,300.
"We are really excited and we are really grateful to the community groups that stepped up and helped us support (the initiative)," said physical education teacher Mark Sokolowski.
Sokolowski said the school staff discussed the need for the mats with the parent council of the school.
"Back in November we came up with a proposal to purchase safety crash mats for the north and south end of our basketball nets," he said. "That is a requirement in all public schools that there is suitable matting."
While LVS does have some mats currently, they are only about two inches thick after years of use and need to be replaced. The school also has larger wall mats that are about 1 1/2 foot thick, but they are not designed for the intended purpose.
The new mats will be four inches thick in comparison. They are to be red and blue in the school colours, and will say 'Home of the Voyageurs.' This summer, the school gym will be painted so the new mats will also be a bright addition to the gym.
"We came up with an idea: one, to improve the safety in our gym and also to improve on the aesthetics in the gym," said Sokolowski. "What we proposed was to get custom- made end mats."
Vice-principal Tracy Vanstone was thrilled with the donation to purchase the mats.
"I think it will be a great avenue to allow us to enhance our gymnasium, which is a gathering place for a lot of our events" she said. "It will be eye catching and it will also increase safety."
Brad McMurray, with Community Foundation of Portage and District, said the foundation appreciated the need for the initiative.
"We are very pleased to be able to support this project," he said. "It will make the La Verendrye School gymnasium a much safer place for the children here and anyone else who uses the gym for many years to come."
Story courtesy of Angela Brown, Portage Daily Graphic.