Lilburn Elementary School will soon have a new play area that will meet the needs of each and every student. The sensory-rich and engaging environment will enable children to develop physically, socially, and emotionally, while offering the appropriate challenge and opportunity for all students to succeed.

Mike Bender, the Principal at Lilburn Elementary, is excited about what the future holds. “We are thrilled that our inclusive playground will allow all of our students to play and explore,” Bender says. “Until this school year, our lower elementary and special education play area served more than 430 students with only two play opportunities, swings, or a slide. Students had to wait in line, and often times, stand in the sun while students with wheelchairs or limited mobility watched as their peers would swing and slide.”

The new play area includes an accessible whirl, cozy cocoon, spin cup, balance track, accessible swing for children in wheelchairs, and musical instruments such as congas, vibes, and chimes. The state-of-the-art design gives students with special needs an opportunity to engage in sensory and social opportunities that weren’t available with the previous play area. Bender says Maura Goggins and Megan Cuevas, teachers at Lilburn Elementary, spearheaded the project. “This could not have happened without Ms. Goggins and Ms. Cuevas,” Bender says. “They spent two years working on this project and searching for a way to pay for it. Ultimately, they applied for and received a $43,000 grant from the Resurgens Charitable Foundation and I couldn’t be more proud of them. Our students with special needs can now feel comfortable engaging with their peers as they play alongside each other on their new playground, having fun with the sensory opportunities designed just for them.”

The new playground equipment utilizes a unitary surface which allows for a calming reprieve or cooperative play, and is surrounded by a perimeter fence for safety, and a shade structure. In addition to meeting the needs of students at Lilburn Elementary, the play area will also be available, after hours, for use by members of the surrounding community.