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Osseo Education Center celebrates new, accessible playground with grand opening

Osseo Education Center celebrates new, accessible playground with grand opening
school leaders stand in front of a crowd as they speak at a grand opening celebration

 

On the beautiful fall morning of Oct. 4, Osseo Education Center (OEC)’s students and staff celebrated their new, accessible playground with a grand opening celebration featuring music, popcorn, ice cream and a whole lot of playground play and exploration.

The school’s former playground was dated and not accessible to students in wheelchairs or with other mobility challenges. The OEC serves students with disabilities from ages 18-22, so this posed challenges for many in its student population. 

The new playground includes a surface suitable for wheelchairs and other mobility devices, a fitness path, and many unique play pieces that are accessible to people of all abilities. 

students try out a new accessible merry-go-round on the playground


Special education teacher Angie O’Leary said a student-led committee worked to get the fitness path portion of the project built, ironing out the details for a year with funding provided by a life skills grant through the state of Minnesota. Committee members went to local parks to get ideas and did online research.

“We needed to dream big, and dream big we did!” O’Leary said in a short speech prior to the grand opening’s ribbon cutting. “We had many purposeful committee conversations about how to include everyone at OEC and in the community. We are so pleased at how this amazing park and fitness path turned out, and we look forward to seeing you get your workout on!” 

students swing on the new playground


Playground updates go beyond OEC for other district sites 

Rachel Koehler, a health and safety coordinator for Osseo Area Schools, is a certified playground safety inspector. She said each of the district’s playgrounds are inspected every year, and that considerations such as age, maintenance and safety concerns guide decision-making on which playgrounds to update first. 

In addition to the OEC, Woodland Elementary also received a new playground last summer. Koehler said they have been updating a couple of playgrounds each summer using long-term facilities maintenance funding to ensure each school continues to have safe and engaging experiences at their outdoor play spaces. 
 

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