PEABODY — City officials unveiled the new, accessible McCarthy Elementary School playground to a very eager crowd of students, who wasted no time taking advantage of the newly rebuilt play area, Monday morning.
The McCarthy School serves students attending the Peabody Integrated Preschool and elementary students from kindergarten to the fifth grade. There are 135 preschool students attending the school, more than half of whom are on individualized education plans for physical, social, and academic disabilities.
At the ribbon-cutting Monday, Principal Michelle Zottoli said the opening of the new playground was a dream come true.
“We’ve been working on this for years,” she said. “I never thought it would happen.”
On the new playground, students of all abilities can play together, thanks in part to rubberized areas allowing wheelchair access. The playground also features a swing with access for people of all abilities, and play activities for children with mobility challenges.
“They have been waiting a long time for this,” Zottoli said as a steady stream of students flowed into the new playground, flocking to its slides and swings.
The ribbon-cutting drew a large crowd of city and state officials, including former Mayor Mike Bonfanti and the city’s delegation of state Sen. Joan Lovely and state Reps. Tom Walsh and Sally Kerans.
Mayor Ted Bettencourt, in brief remarks delivered ahead of the ribbon-cutting, said the playground was a team effort, with stakeholders from across the city stepping up to provide critical funding to make the dream of an accessible playground a reality.
“It was because of the hard work of so many people, very generous givers that wanted to help out and make this a reality, and we’re gonna have a beautiful park here for a long time,” he said. “I wanted to congratulate the McCarthy School community… people who really care about this community, which is wonderful.”
“This is the fun part of the job,” he added.
Superintendent Josh Vadala also delivered a brief speech ahead of the official opening of the playground and said the district was excited for students to begin to use it.
“It truly takes a village to make this happen and how everybody came together really just is a lot of pride for me in how Peabody steps up and comes together,” he said.
The new playground was funded through a combination of fundraising efforts from the McCarthy PTO, $120,000 from the city’s Community Preservation Committee, $20,000 from the Parks and Recreation Department, and $50,000 secured by the legislative delegation for continuing work at the site, according to Bettencourt.
For the city, the playground will serve as more than a space for students at the McCarthy.
“It’s a welcoming park for our community,” Vadala said.
