08 March 2017
On Monday 6 March, Principal, Tony Freeman, officially opened the Junior School Green to the excitement and delight of students and staff alike.
In the hope of further enhancing the Junior School’s outdoor area, plans were made for a rectangular green and landscaping at the top of the School to cater for an active cohort of girls. Taking inspiration from designs completed by Tim Penny Architecture, Fahan School’s Maintenance and Grounds Manager, Rod Nevin, set about building a playground oasis to sit adjacent to the new green to provide plenty of opportunity for creative play and physical activity for the Junior School girls.
Excavations began in late December 2016 and the work kept the Maintenance and Grounds team busy over the holiday period and well into the new year. Over 500 new plants, 1000 rolls of turf and a large quantity of new trees were introduced in the construction of the terraced playground. Play equipment from other parts of the School, new equipment and native plants and grasses were carefully placed to ensure maximum enjoyment for the girls. The Junior School Green has quickly become an inspiring space with tranquil views over the River Derwent and it is a wonderfully convenient learning space for our Early Learning and Junior School classes.
“It was such a joy to watch the girls respond with wonderment and awe as they ran madly through the new play areas working out where they could play, hide, meet for new games and take calculated risks to further develop their resilience. The consultative design process really represented the culture of our School and highlighted what we knew about our girls and how they love to play,” said Amanda Evans, Head of the Junior School.
Rod Nevin agreed, “We set out to plant trees such as the Aerial Green Ash, Norwegian Maple and Crepe Myrtle which would not only create shady, cave-like spaces for the girls to run through but also add colour and interest to complement our existing gardens. The mix of foliage will be great for the girls in Autumn, when a popular pastime is collecting leaves and studying how the myriad of trees in the School grounds change over the seasons.”
We are sure this is an area that many Fahan girls will enjoy for years to come. A special thank you goes to Rod Nevin, Andrew Kannegiesser and Birgitta Browning who invested many hours into ensuring that the Junior School Green would be an ideal space for the girls.
“We really love the slides - playing on them is so much fun!” said Sophia and Bianca from Prep.
“I really love the whole playground. There is so much space and the play equipment is so shiny,” said Georgia from Year 2.
“I really like the big orange slide, the tyres and all the green grass to run on,” said Ava from Year 2.
“I like the swings, the tyres and the big space on the Green to play tag and soccer with my friends,” said Imogen from Year 2.
“I love how it looks different. I explored the swings first and had lots of fun!” said Lauren from Year 1.
“The best thing about the new playground is the big orange slide!” said Emily from Year 1.
“I was excited when Mr Freeman said the Junior School Green was open – we really loved playing gymnastics on it,” said Charlotte from Year 2.
“I loved climbing up the tyres and also jumping on the tyres with the grass inside – I hope we can play there forever,” said Maisey from Year 1.
