Principal Jessica Kozelius gets a little help from her friends as she cuts the ribbon marking the playground’s opening—Photos/video by Mike Pettinella/For Video News Service
By Mike Pettinella
For Video News Service
It could only be described as a “joyful noise” when a couple dozen 4- and 5-year-olds paraded through the gate on Thursday morning following a ribbon-cutting ceremony that officially opened the new playground at Robert Morris Elementary School at 80 Union St., Batavia.
School Principal Jessica Korzelius, with assistance from several pre-kindergarten pupils, cut the ribbon in celebration of the Batavia City School District’s journey to making the inclusive early children center playground a reality.
Prior to that she called the day a special one “because we’re opening something we built together – a new playground for our early learning center here at Robert Morris.”
Video clip of playground-by Mike Pettinella
“This playground is a space where children can explore, move, imagine and grow with the support of our caring community,” she said during the brief event, which also was livestreamed to other students in their classrooms.
“Most importantly, this playground is community built. It reflects the time, effort and heart that neighbors put into making sure that our children have an age-appropriate, safe, welcoming and joyful place to play.”
She then thanked all the volunteers who assisted in the project.
“Your commitment goes beyond the work you did,” she said. “You’re helping shape the memories and moments that will matter most to families for years to come.”
Korzelius said the opening of the playground reflects the value of teamwork.
“As we celebrate this opening, let’s remember what this playground symbolizes: that when we come together, we can do great things for the youngest members of our community,” she said. “So today, we celebrate not only the playground, but the people who made it possible. We welcome every child to this space with excitement, safety and wonder.”
Superintendent Jason Smith thanked those who volunteered their time in the construction of the park, teachers, capital project team of Campus Construction and CPL, and school board members.
“I am excited to have our boys and girls welcoming us into this brand-new place. At this age, we know that being outside is so important and playing is so important. This state-of-the-art equipment is going to last a long time and meet all of our needs.”
Pre-kindergarten teacher Michael Calandra and pupil Zaebri Kinne celebrate the opening of Robert Morris Elementary School’s new playground on Thursday morning.
Pupils from the pre-K classes of Michael Calandra and Kristen Fix didn’t seem to mind the crisp weather as they anticipated having some fun on the enclosed playground after the ribbon-cutting.
Calandra applauded the decision to dismantle the playground that previously was on the site, which is south of the original playground (circa 1960’s) that was located along Vernon and Richmond avenues.
“We love it. For this age group, it’s perfect; perfect size,” he said. “The last playground that was here, when we first got here, was built for more K through five so we had some issues with injuries. This is great. The softness of the carpet (turf) is great, and we can use it right away after it rains.”
The $500,000 project (including grants) was approved in 2023 as part of the BCSD’s Capital Improvement. In the fall, kindergarten students will join UPK and Pre-K at Robert Morris.
Korzelius said students were able to enjoy the space last November, weather permitting.
She said a priority was making it “inclusive for our honeys who have different types of challenges or come with unique needs.”
Physical education teacher Carmen Del Plato shows that he’s really a “kid at heart.”
