This summer, a program began in Moorestown as one of the newest examples of community collaboration. Kingsway Learning Center and the Moorestown Department of Parks and Recreation Community Partner Organization are working together to offer students opportunities to become active in their community while developing important skills and relationships. Kingsway Learning Center is located at 244 Route 38 in Moorestown and is a leader in primary and secondary special education. This new partnership illuminates the importance of collaboration within our community.
Kingsway Learning Center’s Community Based Instruction program is working with Moorestown Department of Parks and Recreation to help keep the parks clean. Thirteen students and five staff members in the Recreation and Leisure Domain, under the instruction of teachers Jill Coughlin and Tara Buck, will work collaboratively with the director of Parks and Recreation, Theresa Miller, to implement a highly structured initiative to conserve Moorestown parks.
This opportunity will provide Kingsway students with the ability to become active members of the community and skilled workers by engaging in responsibilities such as: park clean-up; trash pick-up; turf and field clean up; sweeping of pavilions and picnic areas; and cleaning of tables, benches, playground apparatuses and other park areas. Kingsway students will be responsible for tasks such as, weeding of playgrounds, shrub beds, tree beds and flower beds. Students will also act as a communication liaison, thus reporting any vandalism, damaged equipment or areas in need of repair. Long-term goals include planting various plants and flowers grown by the students, via Kingsway’s classroom hydroponics system, throughout the Moorestown Parks.
Students will prepare field supplies consisting of gloves, trash bags, trash grabbers, rags, green cleaners, rakes, garden hand tools, brooms, bundling twine and other adapted tools required to meet the needs of students. The necessary equipment and tools will be provided by the school.
This collaboration between the school and Moorestown Parks and Recreation will benefit the community of Moorestown to help enhance and maintain the already beautiful parks and their facilities. As well as provide the students of Kingsway Learning Center the opportunity to learn essential social and life skills incorporated with environmental awareness and conservation of community resources.
For more information about this program, or if your group or business would like to become a Community Partner Organization with the Moorestown Department of Parks and Recreation, please contact Theresa Miller at tmiller@moorestown.nj.us.
