While school may be out for the summer for students, our ASD-W school buildings and grounds continue to serve district residents, thanks to our Community Use of Schools initiative.
The same gymnasiums, classrooms, and ball fields that engage students when school is in session also host a variety of year-round community group activities, from adult sports leagues to driver-education and dance classes, even birthday parties.
Based on the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development’s longstanding policy of the same name, the district’s Community Use of Schools initiative is similar to those in the province’s three other anglophone school districts.
It’s making a positive difference in ASD-W.
“Plain and simple, it’s offered us an indoor gymnasium facility that we otherwise wouldn’t have to help us offer and promote more sports programming to our residents,” said Taylor Bradley, director of recreation and parks for the Hanwell Rural Community.
Hanwell-area residents have access to indoor and outdoor facilities at the newly built Hanwell Park Academy. “In promoting spaces for people to recreate, we develop and nurture our own sporting community by providing resources for people to play basketball, volleyball, pickleball, etc.,” Bradley said.
Bradley hopes the knowledge of the facilities at Hanwell Park Academy will encourage residents in the 10-year-old Hanwell Rural Community jurisdiction to create more formal leagues and organizations in which their neighbours can become involved.
ASD-W Community Engagement Operations Coordinator Karrie Bedford and ASD-W Community Schools Coordinator Rosemary White handle community use requests for the district. And those requests are not limited to private citizens or organizations using ASD-W facilities. The district also fosters reciprocal agreements with municipalities.
How can our Community Use of Schools initiative can work for you or your organization?
For more information, contact ASD-W Community Engagement Operations Coordinator Karrie Bedford at [email protected] or (506) 453-4160.
“When you’re fostering any kind of partnership, you really have to highlight that perk of partnership,” said Bedford. “The municipality gains access to our facilities to offer programming for their residents (and our students) while we gain community partnerships that help to foster a sense of community amongst our staff, learners, and their families.”
The district is in talks with 22 municipalities to build reciprocal agreements between the municipality and our schools, Bedford said. The reciprocal agreements allow a municipality to use our school facilities for their activities in exchange for a fee. The City of Fredericton has a reciprocal agreement with ASD-W which makes 16 of our facilities available to Fredericton residents for recreational activities.
“The Community Use of Schools team works to ensure preference is given to children and youth programming, and to find solutions for community groups who are looking for space,” said Bedford. However, fees for use by individuals or organizations—when applied—are based on a number of factors, including non-profit status and the number of school-age children involved.
“Communication with the principals, teachers, and custodians has been very helpful, with prompt responses in case we needed anything.”
Jerry Zhang, owner of Zhang Badminton Family Inc.
Jerry Zhang has been running his badminton school, Zhang Badminton Family Inc., for the last six years, using various ASD-W locations to instruct students. A Leo Hayes High School graduate and badminton pro, Zhang has held his badminton classes at his former alma mater, as well as at Fredericton High School, Ridgeview Middle School, and Nashwaaksis Middle School.
“When I reached out to the schools in the city, they were helpful in terms of getting suitable gym times for us, as well as facilities and equipment,” he said. “So, we’ve been very fortunate and grateful to have that.”
Zhang has been quite content with his community-use arrangement with the district, stating “communication with the principals, teachers, and custodians has been very helpful, with prompt responses in case we needed anything.”