July 29, 2005
By Rose Setshoge
SAINT IVES, a primary school in Soweto, is about to undergo a transformation - from a play area that is dry and dusty, the grounds will become a landscaped park with beautiful trees and a water feature.
The winning design
The Klipspruit West school won the first ever competition, My Dream Park, at the end of last year.
Now work is set to begin on the grounds: trees will be planted, a pavement will be laid, and play equipment, bins, benches and a water feature will be installed by the end of August.
The My Dream Park competition was held by Johannesburg City Parks in partnership with the Gauteng Department of Education. Primary schools were asked to design a park.
The objective of the competition was to make primary school children more aware of the importance of a clean environment and the benefits of open space management.
The competition also fitted into the Outcomes Based Education programme, which encourages teamwork.
More than 1 000 entries were received, according to Jenny Moodley, spokesperson for City Parks.
Criteria considered in judging the entries included the spacing the equipment, the skill of the planning, and whether the park was user-friendly.
Equally important was the team effort. Each team had five members.
Saint Ives' winning members were: Lyle Jamane, Sheldon Muller, Delano Jutas, Mario Foxion and Mashal Fredrics.
Competition sponsors, Total SA, contributed R90 000 to the project, which will be used to buy the materials for the park, while Primedia Outdoors contributed a floating trophy as well as R1 000 for each of the team members.
City Parks will develop and oversee the maintenance of the parks. "Our dream is to develop a sustainable park not only in Saint Ives Primary but in every school in the city," says City Park's managing director, Luther Williamson.
Through the competition, City Parks hopes that school children learn about the value of green space and build a culture of ownership and pride in open spaces, Williamson adds.
New competition
Johannesburg primary schools are being encouraged to enter the next My Dream Park competition.
The competition is open to primary school children in grades five to seven. Teams of no more than five children per group are to design a park on a poster (58cm X 81cm). Learners can select any materials for the design.
The closing date is 18 August 2005.
Three teams will be chosen to win parks to the value of R90 000, depending on sponsorship.
The judges' decision is final and prizes may not be exchanged for cash.
Entries for the competition can be obtained from the district head offices of the Gauteng Department of Education.
For more information, contact Paula Wilken at City Parks on 011 712 6761.
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