A Capital Region school is honoring a late teacher and coach with a new playground.
Southgate Elementary School in the North Colonie district now has a playground built for students with special needs.
Featuring adaptive equipment, it was made possible through a $125,000 state grant. Assemblyman Phil Steck, a Democrat from the 110th district, spoke at an unveiling ceremony Friday. He says it means the kids “Coach Pete” Mravlja cared most about now have a place just for them.
“He worked tirelessly to make his physical education classes accessible, and it was his dream to have a playground where all children, no matter their abilities, could play together. Today we make that dream a reality, honoring his legacy and the values he instilled in our community,” Steck said.
Mravlja died unexpectedly in 2021 at 48. School staff donned shirts emblazoned with his number 21.
Steck adds it’s a great resource for the school’s physical therapists as well.
“The special ed teachers can use this for instruction, as well as it being used by the children during recreation time. So I think it will improve the learning experience for children who have special needs,” Steck said.
Steck says the playground complements a new mental health clinic at the high school.
Don Kinzel, a kindergarten teacher at Southgate and one of Mravlja’s close friends, says he was a true public servant.
“He did a lot of things for our school, whether it was coordinating and running Purple and White Day, DJing a special day at Southgate, helping with the turkey shoot or doing the audio lights for numerous Southgate productions. Coach always did what was needed for Southgate,” Kinzel said.
Kinzel says this playground is accessible to all, made possible by features that are lower to the ground than in a non-accessible setup, as well as a rubber pad to make it easier for those with wheelchairs or walkers to use.
Southgate Principal Jerri Lynne Dedrick says the new playground is also a sensory experience.
“It meets a variety of needs, not just physical limitations that students might have, but it also is responsive to a sensory profile, so students who may have tactile needs, or students for whom loud noises are a problem, or students who may have any other sensory needs,” Dedrick said.
The new space features all manner of spinning things, from a four-seat merry-go-round to a roller conveyor belt kids can pull themselves along.
Dedrick echoed Mravlja’s favorite turn of phrase celebrating the school mascot:
“It’s a great day to be a great Gator,” Dedrick said.
