A playground for all in Wantagh

A new playground at Forest Lake Elementary School is being hailed as a recreational area for all.

The playground, funded with a grant from the Nassau County Legislature and with a donations from the PTA, has been designed for children of all ages and all abilities. The playground was constructed earlier in the month and a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Oct. 21, a warm and sunny play-outside-kind-of-day.

Located on the south side of the school, adjacent to the parking lot, the playground includes rock-climbing walls, ramps, slides of varying heights and musical components. “There’s plenty for any child to enjoy,” Principal Anthony Ciuffo said. “The kids are so excited about this.”

Ciuffo said he and representatives of American Recreational went through about 10 different designs for the playground before a final plan was settled upon. “It’s a big process to create and design a playground,” he said. A few components were also added to a playground in the back of the school using the grant money.

One of the most popular items is a cruiser. With benches on both sides and a large space in the middle to allow for a student in a wheelchair, children can rock it back and forth. Fifth-grader Franco Valentino said about a dozen people can use it at a time, and they have to work together to get it to move.

He added that he is happy to have this available for his final year at Forest Lake. “I wish we could have got it sooner so we had more time to go on it,” he said, “but it’s nice. I like it.”

Fifth-grader Paige King enjoys many of the components of the playground, including the slides. “A lot of people can have fun on it, a great way to make friends,” she said.

For kindergartners, they will have six years to use the new playground. Julia Slosher said every day she makes it a little higher on the rock wall, James Taylor loves the drum machine and Isabella Simon spends most of her recess every day exploring the different components.

Ciuffo said that a playground is a valuable part of any school. He explained that play is essential to creating well-rounded individuals, who can learn to explore their imaginations. Time on the playground improves social skills, cultivates friendships and creates memories that last a lifetime, he added.

The location of the playground was chosen to make it “front and center” Ciuffo said, because of its visibility from the parking lot, road and front walk.

On hand for the dedication last week were central administrators, county legislators and representatives of the PTA, as well as Forester the Bear who took a trip down the slide after the ribbon was cut.

The PTA donated $13,000 for the playground. Co-presidents Patty Anzalone and Tara Alexander said they were very happy with the final product. “I think this is a great playground,” Alexander said. “It gives them so many options, things to play on.”

Anzalone said the new playground is wonderful, and her daughter has enjoyed using it in the short time it’s been open. “She loves it,” she said. “She asks to come over here every day after school.”