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St. Christopher’s updated playground to be ready for fall

New fence and sandbox, outdoor classroom and monkey bars galore in store for students
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Construction on St. Christopher’s Montessori School’s outdoor space this summer will result in a safe and refined playground that will be available for students by September. (Evert Lindquist/News Staff)

Students returning to St. Christopher’s Montessori School in September will have twice as many monkey bars to swing on, thanks to construction on the playground currently underway.

Repairs and improvements on the school’s outdoor space, which continue through late August, will ensure a safe and exciting playground for students this fall, according to co-principal and art teacher Lisa Grant.

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St. Christopher’s is working with Garden City Construction to rebuild a rotting perimeter fence and sandbox, add fresh wood chips and an outdoor classroom, and replace the pavement with new paving stones. While most of the original structures built six or seven years ago will remain, an additional set of monkey bars might be the icing on the cake for some students.

“It’s like prime real estate – if you’re able to do the monkey bars, it’s like you’re a big kid,” said Grant.

Fundraising for playground redevelopments began several years ago, initially by means of prize galas but more recently through a successful online auction with paintings made in art class by students. Grant described the Oak Bay community as incredibly generous and the developers as highly accommodating and easy-going with costs for products like lumber.

“It’s more about how we can get our community feeling back to normal again,” she said.

Grant looks forward to the return of her students in September, when the Fireplace and Buttercup groups will no longer need to be separated.

To learn more about St. Christopher’s, visit stcmontessori.ca.


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