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Ruddick said at one point she noticed pupils pulling out weeds and replanting in the yard, because they had nothing else to do during recesses. “They were trying to use their imaginations,” she said.

Ruddick said the school is hoping a community group will take up their cause.

“If you look at what we’re trying to do at our school, which is engage these children and show them they can have a bright and happy future, the first thing is having little children at play,” she said.

“If we can give them that and show them the school and community care about their whole well-being . . . then we really change their trajectory for their lives.”

A bid for funding through London’s neighbourhood decision making program failed. The city hall initiative that invites residents to propose and then vote on new projects they want to see in their communities.

“We did everything to win that contest. We opened up the school on the weekend. We had parents come in and vote. We put flyers back in the community. Ex-students came back to help,” Ruddick said.

The school has gained support from one unexpected source.

Dr. Karen Geukers, a fifth-year resident at Western University who is a huge proponent of a playground, has raised about $1,000 so far through GoFundMe, Facebook and friends and hopes to raise more.

She said she learned about the need through her brother-in-law Aaron McIntyre, a teacher and basketball coach at the school.

“He said they really didn’t have a foreseeable way to fund-raise and my heart broke. These are kindergartners and school-age kids who don’t have a playground. I wanted to do whatever I could,” said Geukers.

“Asking for a playground is not asking for a luxury. Recreation and play are core parts of development.”

HRivers@postmedia.com