It was years in the making, and once students cut the ribbon on the new playground during VA Community Day, the joy was palpable.
Van Antwerp Middle School Principal John Moskov said a few words to introduce the playground to students before sixth grader Ella Neely cut the ribbon, officially opening the playground for use.
Once the ribbon was cut, students screamed in joy and sprinted to test out the new, age-appropriate equipment and experience their very own dedicated middle school play space for the first time.
“I like all of it because it’s all new to me!” said sixth grader Lilian Preston.
The playground was specifically designed with age appropriate equipment for students in grades 5-6. Part of the playground planning process included gathering input from students who were in sixth grade a few years ago to learn what type of equipment they would want on their ideal playground.
“The kids themselves know exactly what they want,” said Principal John Moskov. “We want our students to have voice and choice in the classroom and we want them to have voice and choice on the things they do out here.”
The new playground features a ninja course, basketball court, four square court, slides and much more, and gives students a dedicated play space, options to enjoy and a place to relax and take a break. 
“We don’t have to play on the field all the time now and we can do new stuff,” said sixth grade student Emerson Blair.
Ongoing construction at Van Antwerp will continue over the next two years before all Niskayuna students in grades 5 and 6 begin attending the school. In addition to the building renovations, leaders are working to reimagine the middle level experience across the district. The new playground is one small detail in the comprehensive review and revision of academic programming offerings and opportunities for this age group in Niskayuna.
After playing on the playground, students had the opportunity to sign their names to a beam that will eventually be used in the construction of the new addition at Van Antwerp.
District residents overwhelmingly approved two capital projects in 2021 and 2024, which provided the funding for the middle school construction, including the new playground.
For more information about the capital projects, please visit the Our Schools Our Future webpage.
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