New play structure open at MacLeod Elementary School

June 8, 2026, 9:02 am
Donnie Matichuk

Students at MacLeod School check out the new playground equipment.

MacLeod Elementary School has finished construction of a brand new play structure in the school playground, and there are lots of excited students using it daily.

“We are all ecstatic to know that the dream of a new playground has become a reality, and I think the community and the students at our school are as excited as we are,” says MacLeod Principal Tammy Cole.

“The activity at the playground has been nonstop since we were able to open it up and allow people to go on it. You could drive by at sunset and there would still be a group of kids.”

Cole says that even though the old play structure was loved by students, it was time for it to be replaced.

“The old one, even though it was much beloved, had aged out. It was 30-some years old, and many years previously we could no longer get replacement parts for it. There used to be a tic-tac-toe board that went, and then this winter the twin slides literally crumbled, and so we had to remove those.

“Thankfully we had the foresight a few years ago to start the process of fundraising. It ended up taking us about four years to raise the funds. Thankfully, with the $50,000 from the Saskatchewan government, we pushed over the amount we needed and could do it.”

With that money from the government, Cole says that the cost of the project came in right on budget.

“All said and done, although we haven’t got some bills back at the moment, it is looking to be in the range of $155,000 to $160,000. We’re very proud of the money we were able to raise in order to make this happen.”

She says that the response from the students has been amazing, and at times overwhelming.

“We are really happy how everything turned out, and the community seems to be really thrilled. We’ve had to literally plan and schedule out when kids can use it, because it has been that popular and busy at the school during recess.”

Students at MacLeod School on a new play structure that has been built at the school. The school was fundraising for the new structure for a couple of years, and a new provincial program contributed the last $50,000 so that it could be built this year. Volunteers were busy for a week installing the new playground and the kids are giving it rave reviews.

The students at MacLeod even had some input on the project, and Cole says she was happy to listen to what they had to say.

“We do an OurSchool survey with our Grade 4’s and 5’s twice a year, and for years they have been asking for more monkey bars. That was the most requested new feature by far, so we made sure that happened. The round disk swing is something they’ve been really enjoying, and there are parts of the play structure that are accessible for people who may have a mobility issue. There are kids who have timed themselves going through it, so they have been having a wonderful time since it opened.”

The school received a tremendous amount of support from various groups in town, and Cole says that she couldn’t appreciate it more.

“Our School Community Council has helped with the fundraising portion of this project for years. Part of the SCC gift card fundraiser went directly to that this playground fund for several years.

“We have had many, many local businesses assist us, from Tim Hortons doing the Smile Cookie campaigns to Hebert Grain Ventures, Rocky Mountain Equipment, IJack, Jeannot Electric, and so many others. Off the top of my head I know Nutrien, TJ’s Pizza, and many families and individual community members helped out. The Ukrainian community also held a huge fundraiser that helped us a ton.”

Cole said that it is always nice to see the community take initiative to support upcoming projects.

“Moosomin always truly comes together when there is someone in need, and they did for us once again. We had some wonderful volunteers from within our school community, but the town itself came out and helped us with the grunt work of moving concrete and pouring it in 57 holes. Our SCC sponsored one of the lunches for the construction crew. The teamwork and partnership has been amazing.”

The students have made the change from old to new, and while they’ve said they will miss the old play structure, they are happy to see the new one complete.

“I think all the elementary school kids are beyond excited for it. In truth I think there are also a lot of kids in both schools that are sad to see the old one go. It was a very loved spot that I’m sure older kids still have memories of. However, I think that everyone has embraced change and are loving the new play structure. The community seems excited and the school is happy we can provide this playground for the students,” said Cole.