Cooke School

Video features the inclusive playground at Cooke School in Northville Michigan.

[video: full view of a Permalene panel that reads: Hand in hand together we can! Inspired by the playful spirit of Katie and her friends.]

[video: butterfly shapes are made from children’s hand prints decorating the panel. Scene switches to adults and a child in a stroller ride the Sway Fun glider. Two adults push from either side to make it gently rock back and forth. Scene switches to a boy and girl going down a Roller Slide in slow motion. Camera switches with a grandmother holding a baby on her lap as she swings on a swing. Scene fades to a close-up of a young girl in a stroller next to the Chimes Panel. A man grabs her hand to guide it across the chimes to make them move. Scene fades to two boys swing side by side high above the camera in slow motion under a shaded swing set. Fade to black.]

[video: scene fades into a woman wearing sunglasses as she speaks to the camera. Text appears in the lower left corner reading: Principal Cooke school Mary Meldrum Principal Cooke school.]

Mary: We service students with moderate to severe disabilities. Some of our students Have emotional impairments as well as cognitive impairments.

Mary voiceover: And then we have a large population of students who have a cognitive impairment as well as physical impairment, so we have a lot of students who are in a wheelchair. Which is one of the reasons that we made sure that everything was accessible.

[video: a young boy hops towards the camera on an accessible playground ramp. He walks closely up to the camera and looks into the lens. Scene switches to the young boy spinning the Color Splash Panel. He lifts his arms above his shoulders and waves his hands with joy. Man pushes a young girl in a stroller down the playground side walk. He turns and continues to push the young girl up the accessible playground ramp. He stops her at the Chimes Panel and kneels next to her. Camera back to Mary speaking to the camera.]

Mary: Well prior to the playground we really didn't have a place for our students to go outside and play.

Mary voiceover: Since we've installed the playground this it's full all the time like students are able to do physical therapy out here, work on gross motor skills developing their sensory systems and we're able to use it as a teaching tool as well as a recreational tool.

[video: camera focuses on a young boy in a stroller and group of adults as they rock back and forth on the Sway Fun glider. Camera switches to a side view of a young boy riding down a Roller Slide. A girl slowly walks to spin a group of children on the OmniSpin. Camera switch to a large group of parents and kids riding on the Sway Fun. Scene switches to a boy spinning slowly on the stand-up spinner. Camera goes in and out of focus on a boy sitting on the edge of the OmniSpin. He waves his hands back and forth with excitement. Camera switches to a close-up of a girl in a stroller with a woman kneeling next to her at the Chime Panel. Camera switches to the back side of the panel as the girl can be seen through the chimes playing them. Camera switches back to Mary speaking to the camera.]

Mary: A lot of our occupational therapists and physical therapists can use the playground.

Mary voiceover: Either you know stepping skills or the climbing of stairs managing uneven terrain just developing some of the gross motor skills that they need assistance with.

[video: camera focuses on a girl’s feet in flip flops steps and climbing on the holes in the Cascade Climber. Two girls run to the stairs of the playground and rush up them together. Scene switches to two boys riding down the roller slide. A boy spins himself on the stand-up spinner as a group of adults and two children ride the Sway Fun in the background. Scene switches to a young girl wearing glasses as she speaks to the camera.

Girl: I liked the spinning chair over there.

Girl voiceover: Where you can just sit in it and spin.

[video: a girl spins herself in a Saddle Spinner seat. Camera switches back to young girl speaking to the camera.]

Girl: I usually just fall over when I'm done.

[video: scene switches to a young boy speaking to the camera.]

Boy: I really like the spin thing.

[video: a girl runs around to push her friend on the OmniSpin. Camera switch to a girl as she speaking to the camera.]

Girl 2: My favorite thing about this park is this little bumpy slide.

[video: two boys slide down the Roller Slide side by side. Camera switches to young boy as he speaks to the camera.]

Boy 2: My favorite thing about the playground is the spinning color wheel.

[video: a boy spins the Color Splash panel. Camera switch to the side view of a swing set of several children swing together. Scene switches to a view across the playground of a group of adults and children enjoying the Sway Fun glider while a girl spins herself on the stand-up nearby. Camera close-up of the Sway Fun as the group continues to ride. Camera switches to a close-up over a young boy’s shoulder as he spins a steering well on a playground barrier. Young girl slowly walks to push the OmniSpin as a group of children ride. Camera switches to the young girl sitting in a stroller holding out her hand to the man standing next to her. They hold hands. Scene switches to a man and women holding the young girl’s hands sitting in the stroller. Behind them is the Permalene Panel sign on the playground. Camera pulls back as a photographer takes the picture of the three of them in front of the “Hand in Hand Together We Can” panel. Screen fades to black, white text appears in the middle of the screen that reading: With the help of Katie and her friends, the playground at Cooke School strives to be a place where people of all abilities can come together and play.]

[video: the text fades away as the Landscape Structure logo fades in. The Landscape Structures logo is made of a ribbon shape undulating above the text landscape structures. Text below the logo reads: Better playgrounds. Better world.]