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VIDEO: Clarence Student-Made Playsets Inspire Kindergarten Creativity

VIDEO: Clarence Student-Made Playsets Inspire Kindergarten Creativity
Updated

The hard work of students at Clarence High School and Clarence Middle School brought new opportunities for kindergarten students at the Clarence Central School District to play and build key skills.

Students built a total of 19 wooden playsets, which gave the opportunity for students to play in a variety of business settings, as well as set up the playsets as a stage.

“This was truly about students giving back to students,” said Dr. Kristin Overholt, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction. “Every student who walks through the halls of our elementary schools will have the opportunity to work with these play structures.” 

Much of the work on the playsets happened at the High School in fall 2024, with students completing work during break periods and after completing their daily assignments. The High School students’ work built upon the initial playset built by Clarence Middle School students earlier in the year.

High School technology teachers Thomas Maroney and Jason Urbanek said the students embraced the opportunity to take the project from the initial request to mass producing the playsets to be ready for use in the classrooms.

“It wasn’t a normal assignment,” Maroney said. “Figuring out how to do the production challenged the students and challenged the teachers.”

For many of the student builders, the project allowed them to support their former kindergarten classrooms. 

“I’m pretty hyped for it, for them to have something that allows for them to use their creativity,” said Moulay “Adam” Elbousti, a High School senior who previously attended Harris Hill Elementary School. “It can go from being a lemonade stand to a shop to a theater play.” 

A list of names with past students who participated in the project was taped onto each of the delivered playsets.

“I really hope they look at these stands and ask ‘Where did they come from?,’” said High School senior Morgan Hays, who attended Harris Hill Elementary School. “I hope it serves as inspiration for them that they could be doing this when they grow up.” 

After completing the work, the student-made playsets were delivered to the District’s elementary schools on December 19, 2024. 

For teachers like Kate Callahan at Sheridan Hill Elementary, the playset was a springboard for students’ creativity. In her classroom, the playset serves as a companion to an imagined ice rink on the floor, with space to buy tickets and sell food and drinks. The fact the playset can have so many uses is a major benefit, she said. 

“What I've seen is a lot of cooperation and turn taking, problem solving and ingenuity,” Callahan said. 

Technology teachers credited for their work on the project were Jason Urbanek, Daniel Tarnowski, Thomas Maroney, Sean Murray, Zachary Meal, Joshua Arnold, Pamela Urbanek and Bradley Wright. 

The project was made possible with financial support from the Clarence Schools Enrichment Foundation and Buffalo Construction Consultants, Inc.

Students at Sheridan Hill Elementary play behind a newly delivered playset to their classroom on December 20, 2024.

 

Students at Clarence HIgh School pose with completed playsets for kindergarten classrooms on December 19, 2024.
Tatum Showalter, a Clarence High School sophomore, works on a playset for a kindergarten classroom on December 3, 2024.
Students at Clarence High School help prepare playsets they built for delivery with members of the Clarence Central School District’s Facilities Department on December 19, 2024.
 Ledgeview Elementary School students play with a newly delivered playset in their classroom on December 19, 2024.
Students in Kate Callahan’s kindergarten class at Sheridan Hill Elementary School use their playset as a companion for an imaginary ice rink on the floor of their class.

 

Harris Hill Elementary School students gather around a playset built for their classroom by students at Clarence High School on December 19, 2024.
Ledgeview Elementary School students pose with their playset on January 7, 2025.

 

Students at Sheridan Hill Elementary play behind a newly delivered playset to their classroom on December 20, 2024.
Students at Clarence HIgh School pose with completed playsets for kindergarten classrooms on December 19, 2024.
Tatum Showalter, a Clarence High School sophomore, works on a playset for a kindergarten classroom on December 3, 2024.
Students at Clarence High School help prepare playsets they built for delivery with members of the Clarence Central School District’s Facilities Department on December 19, 2024.
 Ledgeview Elementary School students play with a newly delivered playset in their classroom on December 19, 2024.
Students in Kate Callahan’s kindergarten class at Sheridan Hill Elementary School use their playset as a companion for an imaginary ice rink on the floor of their class.
Harris Hill Elementary School students gather around a playset built for their classroom by students at Clarence High School on December 19, 2024.
Ledgeview Elementary School students pose with their playset on January 7, 2025.