Sonoma Charter School breaks ground for ‘Cafegymatorium’

submitted photo
Fund raising is underway to install barrier-free playground equipment, pictured above, at Sonoma Charter School.

Lynda Allen has been teaching physical education at the Sonoma Charter School for more than a decade. Lacking any indoor facility other than classrooms and the school’s “playbox” – a small indoor theater – Allen has been challenged to think outside the box (no pun intended) for P.E. solutions during the rainy season. With activities ranging from yoga and juggling to dance and rhythm exercises, she manages to keep the kids physically active while conforming to the state of California’s physical education standards.
Sonoma Charter School dirrector Nora Flood said, “Lynda ramps those standards up to make them much more interesting and educational. The kids see P.E. as being a serious endeavor while still being incredibly creative and innovative.”
Outside, Allen has been known for hosting games of “scooter hockey” that use tiny, wheeled platforms and lightweight hockey sticks. Allen’s philosophy is to help the kids create “positive body images and provide an environment for kids to be themselves.” Allen said she has never once had a kid tell her they hate P.E.

Earthmovers shake ground
On May 14, the ground shook when giant diggers and earthmovers appeared at school to make way for the long-awaited “multi-purpose” building. Allen, like everyone else at the school, is a little more than excited about the new building – one that will amount, initially, to little more than a 3,900-square-foot box.
Flood said, “The money for the building came from a five-year-old bond established solely for this purpose, not from school district funds. It’s not a proper gym. There are no bells and whistles. I heard one student call it a ‘cafegymatorium’ and I think that’s the name we’ll use.”
Flood and David Pier, Director of the Boys and Girls Club, have plans for how the school and the Club’s Springs Annex will share the building once it’s up and functioning. The Sonoma Charter School has recently opened the playbox for the productions of Gabriel Sanchez Navarro’s Latino theater group “Los Trovadores” as well as to Woodland Star for classroom productions.
Also on Flood’s moving-and-shaking agenda is SCS’s new “barrier-free” playground – one with innovative structures that are wheelchair accessible and accommodate children with other special needs.
“Other than the one in San Francisco, it will be the only barrier-free playground open to the public for kids in wheelchairs, those with orthopedic restrictions, sensory integration issues and autistic children. The playground will have a stainless-steel slide for kids with cochlear implants because the plastic slide creates static within their hearing devices and interferes with their use of the play structure,” said Flood.
Jennifer Rochlin, a Sonoma Charter School parent said, “It will especially impact my son who has used a wheelchair since he was three years old. He has rarely been able to play independently with his peers in a playground setting without getting hurt. Not only will the children that are differently-abled have access to the same play opportunities as everyone else. All of the children will learn tolerance and empathy when they play with kids that are different than they are. This playground offers excellent life lessons.”
The playground structure, manufactured by Pacific Crest Recreation, will allow multiple access points for entry and exits for children who are afraid of heights.
Allen helped design the 11 climbing apparatuses for a power-challenge course that runs from one end of the structure to the other in order to accomplish and build speed, stamina and strength. Flood said the playground will also provide vestibular stimulation, an important element of brain development in kids. (The vestibular system is in the inner ear and affects the perception of body position or movement.)
All upgrades to the school’s playground are voluntary. Flood said. From the start, the planning process has included looking at the needs of both the neighborhood and the broader community for a safe and family-friendly open place for local kids to play when school is not in session. Even now, Flood said the fields and playground are widely used on the weekends by neighborhood residents.
So far, $83,000 of the $110,000 project budget has been raised for the playground. Contributions have come from generous individuals and a $10,000 grant from the County Redevelopment Advisory Committee including money to install security cameras in hopes of reducing vandalism. A large portion of the funds came from the Ledson family’s Harmony Foundation for Children, which supports children’s issues nationwide and gave a $20,000 grant for the playground.
“Steve Ledson gave some money to start the Flowery School garden and was looking for specific projects in the Valley. His gracious contribution allowed us to go to our gala make an announcement that we had a lead donor – resulted in raising $31,000 as part of our ‘fund-a-need’ campaign. SCS student government has raised $5,000, the school’s finance committee has committed $10,000 and the governing board has committed $20,000.”
Flood said one of the young Sonoma Charter School students, Kaijah Ford, “gives donations of $1 at a time whenever she has it.”
The school is hoping to raise an additional $17,000 for the playground. So far, Kiwanis Club of Sonoma Plaza have committed additional funds and Sonoma Charter School Fundraising is awaiting decisions from the Soroptomists and the Lions, who have listed the barrier free playground on their upcoming meeting agendas.
Flood said they will begin ripping out the old playground out after school gets out, regardless. They will start building the basic plan and add on stand-alone pieces as funding comes in. The plans include a recognition board, listing donors of $1,000 or more.
Flood said the playground is part of a joint agreement with the incoming housing development, Las Palmas. The developer of Las Palmas recently deeded the property that is the Sonoma Charter School playing field to the school district after 11 years of renting from the previous owner. Las Palmas will be responsible for redoing the playing field and paving the basketball court while the charter school spearheads the work on the playground.
Flood said, “With the mixed-income housing development going up adjacent to school, along with the new multi-purpose room and playground, (the facilities) will be the new cornerstone for revitalization for the Springs area. Add to that the possibility of sidewalks along Highway 12 and we’d see huge improvements.”