How Scholastic News Motivated Students to Support a More Inclusive Playground

It began when a class of first graders at Narragansett School in Gorham, Maine, viewed a video in a Scholastic News® issue titled "A Playground for All" about a girl who uses a wheelchair and who sought to make her school playground more inclusive. The girl, Melody Day, an 11-year-old from Missouri, was born with cerebral palsy. In the video, Melody explained what cerebral palsy is and how her condition makes it difficult for her to walk and use her right hand. She told the story of a day when she was with her friends on the playground, and they decided to go play on the monkey bars, which she couldn’t do. She wondered aloud, “Why isn’t there something for everyone to play at” including kids like her with disabilities. Her friends and the school nurse heard this and thought it was a great idea!

The school had been fundraising for a merry-go-round, but then they found some outdoor musical equipment that was accessible to students who use wheelchairs. The equipment was colorful, in shapes like flowers and butterflies. They named it “Melody’s Garden.” The new equipment has made a difference not just for Melody but for other kids with disabilities.

The Scholastic News video ends with Melody offering a tip for life: “Don’t let your disability or your circumstance or your background define you. Don’t let it control you. Whatever you have in your life doesn’t mean you can’t make a difference in your life and make life better for everyone.”