On Thursday November 16th 2023, we hosted the grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony of the Canyon-Lister Elementary School Playground. 

We acknowledge, respect and honour the First Nations in whose traditional territories the Kootenay Lake School District operates and all Aboriginal people residing within the boundaries of School District No. 8.

We welcomed a number of special guests to the ceremony, including:

• Staff, students and parents

• Superintendent Smillie

• Trustee Etheridge

• Trustee Blackmore

• Christy Fell PAC Chair

• 4 members of the Creston Valley Thundercats

And of course none of this could have been done without our amazing SD8 Operations crew, at the ceremony we welcomed:

• Al Stang Journeyman

• Anthony Fleck Journeyman

• Andrew Jellis Groundsman

• Aaron Murphy Operations

• Will Rosendale Manager of Operations

This playground project has been in the works for many years.  Previously, the playground consisted of a wooden structure that was built in the early 90’s, as well as several climbing structures that had seen better days. The swings and slide structure were added in the early 2000’s.  Discussion began in 2018 about replacing the playground.  Staff and students were able to provide their input on what they wanted and what they felt our school needed.  Throughout the design process, accessibility was on the forefront of everyone's mind.

We were lucky to receive a grant from the Columbia Basin Trust in 2021 which allowed us to purchase the saucer swing and the spinner; and in the Spring of 2023, we were awarded the accessible playground grant from the Ministry of Education and Child Care.  Our Canyon-Lister PAC was also able to contribute to fund to this project.  Once the funds were secured our PAC, the student body, CLES staff and operations staff worked together to select the playground that best fit us. 

The maintenance staff spent the summer months preparing the grounds, ripping out old concrete, pulling down the old wooden structure, and digging for footings and forms.  We would like to give a HUGE special thank you Al Stang, Anthony Fleck, Boe Blackmore, and Aaron Murphy for their expertise and hard work during those long and hot summer days.

After a bit of a delay, the playground arrived in pieces in early September.  Many volunteer parents and staff helped us over a span of a few weekends to unpack and assemble the playground. We would like to thank the following volunteers:   Ryan Syfchuck, Nigel Francis, Dean Bala, Andrew MacKinlay, Jesse Germann, Dustin Rogers, Mr. Mitchell, Daniel Poda, Brynn Fell, Rulon Blackmore, Foster Harris, Ivan Gonzalez, Trustee Ethridge, Allan Findlay, and several members of the Creston Valley Thundercats.

We would also like to shoutout the many Grade 5, 6 and 7 students who spent their recess and lunch breaks shoveling and raking the woodchips into place.

We would also like to acknowledge our very own Clerical, Rachel Vlachos, who was instrumental in coordinating the playgrounds installation. 

By cutting the ribbon we are able to celebrate all the hard work that has been put in so that the school would have this wonderful playground area that will be used for years to come.  Thank you to our ribbon cutters: 

• Gabby form Ms. King's class

• Kendra from Ms. Ziefflie's class

• Grace from Ms. Feltham's class

• Bridgette from Mr. Ewashen's class

• Shane from Ms. Danforth's class

• Aspen from Mme. Victoria's class

• Al Stang from SD8 Operations

• Christy Fell PAC Chair