Our students and parents would like to build and maintain an outdoor community ice rink on the school playground! The students have brainstormed where we would get materials, the benefits of an outdoor ice rink, how to maintain it, and even some rules for use. Sarnia has a few indoor rinks, some of which have free skating time, but this outdoor rink would provide an opportunity for neighborhood families to enjoy skating outside for no cost. As many kids are being drawn more and more to sitting in front of screens (especially in the winter), this is also a great way to promote exercise and develop a new hobby for many kids and families!

The school has a very large playground area and is in a location accessible to many people. We have planned a spot near the school building that has access to an outdoor water source necessary to flood the rink. We would like to build it with an area of at least 60 ft by 100 ft to ensure a large surface that would welcome many community members. The rink would be built and maintained by parent and student volunteers. Our class has come up with a shoveling schedule with students taking responsibility for taking care of the surface, along with parents who have committed to building, flooding, and shoveling the ice surface. The rink would be available for students to use at recess, along with after school and on weekends for anyone to come and enjoy skating in the great outdoors!

We realize that Sarnia's winter climate does not always lend itself to keeping an outdoor rink frozen all winter. This is why we have a plan of putting down asphalt and turning it into a lacrosse rink for the rest of the year, further promoting outdoor community play!

We think this is a fantastic way to work together as both a school and city community and promote exercise!