Parents at Highglen Montessori Elementary school are hoping to win Danone's Rally for Playtime contest to bring a playground to the program's temporary home at Gladstone Elementary.
Highglen school was badly damaged in a fire on April 22 last year -and has since been demolished - forcing the Montessori program to move to Gladstone. The closed College Heights school has no playground, mom Melanie Noullett said.
"Originally they [the school district] said we'd be at Gladstone at least two years. If they do build a school, we'll be here at least another couple years," Noullett said. "If we're going to be here, we need a playground."
The top prize in the yogurt and dairy product maker's contest is a $25,000 playground makeover, she said. The money from the contest could be used to relocate the existing playground at the Highglen site and upgrade it, Noullett said.
Noullett, who has two children at the school and another in the Montessori child care program, is a board member of the Prince George Montessori Education Society.
While parents of children are still holding out hope the district will build a new school, she said, it's important to make sure students have access to a playground in the interim.
"I just think physical activity... is so important. It's good for them to use their bodies and be active," she said. "After the fire, the community was amazing. People offered to help... but there wasn't always things for people to help with. This is something Prince George can help us with."
To support the school, residents can go online to www.danone.ca/rally/web/en and enter codes taken off Danino Greek yogurt products. Codes can also be obtained by clicking a link on the website, she said, "so you don't have to buy anything."
The top two schools with the highest entry-to-student ratio win.
Currently Highglen Montessori elementary is ranked 13th in Canada with a score of 0.2062. Strathclair Community school in Strathclair, Man. was in the lead as of Thursday afternoon with a score of 2.9653.
Foothills Elementary is also a contender in the contest in 41st place with a score of 0.0386, Ron Brent Elementary was in 163rd place with a score of 0.01 and Ecole Lac des Bois was in 326th place with a score of 0.0052.
The contest runs until May 31.
