![['letter to the editor']](https://saltwire.imgix.net/letter-to-the-editor-2613336.jpg?cs=srgb&fit=crop&h=568&w=847&dpr=1&auto=format%2Ccompress%2Cenhance)
I’ve recently read an article about Nancy Osmond’s mission to build a fence around the Pasadena Elementary playground in one of your recent issues. As a former student of Pasadena Elementary, I have a different perspective on the matter.
In Grade Six, I remember helping create an outdoor classroom and walking trail to have more interactive outdoor learning experiences. Myself and many other elementary students and staff members carried and placed crushed stone around the playground for the trail and outdoor classroom. A lot of work and grant money went into this initiative. After this was built, my class learned about soil, worms, different types of birds and one of my favourite classes, we learned how to tell how old a tree is by looking at its rings.
It was well known that students were not allowed to go on the trails without their classroom teacher. I remember being told many times that we were not allowed to go past the trees. The tree boundary acted as a fence.
As far as I know, no child ever wandered off before. It is very sad news to find out that a fence will border the playground and make the outdoor classroom and trails inaccessible.
With or without a fence, anyone could run away via road access. I don’t think that one child’s actions should ruin the outdoor spaces that benefit so many children.
Kate Fudge, Pasadena
