New playground sparks mixed reactions among high school students

As students returned to 2000 Edgehill Avenue on August 12, many were greeted unexpectedly by a newly constructed towering blue playground. 

Dubbed the “21st-century playground” by Juanita Traughber, it features a castle-like structure with three main towers. The towers are connected by covered passages that allow kids to climb from one tower to another. 

To accommodate the new playground, the back corner of the field has been completely transformed with a new turf space covering 10,368 square feet. 

This space includes the main structure, a swing set, a five-foot-tall tiger head and other climbing elements. 

Although this futuristic playground is exciting to many, like any change at USN, it has ruffled many feathers. 

Many high schoolers, particularly those whose memories are filled with fun times of the old wooden playground, have concerns about the new playground’s aesthetics. 

“When I saw the new playground… I was disgusted… the fact that I just pulled up one day and [the old playground] was gone was depressing,” stated Charlie Hall ‘27.

“[The new playground] is ugly and out of place,” agreed Alexa Khazanov ‘26.

“I don’t know why they chose blue… A maroon would’ve been nice, but I think the wooden style was good. I don’t like the generic type they went to, and I don’t think it was a good use of our money,” added Hall.

When the playground was formally introduced to high school students during the first assembly of the year, Assistant Head of High School for Student Affairs Nicole Jules announced the playground would be strictly for students 12 and under. 

“I’m not even allowed on it! If you are going to build a good playground, at least make it accessible to high schoolers,” said Hall.

This project cost the school around $600,000 and was backed by essential donors. Interim Director Juliet Douglas noted that the playground project had been in the works for a long time and was the brainchild of Director of Auxiliary Programs Rebecca Stokes and former Head of Lower School Amy Woodson. However, the project lost momentum during the school’s turbulent times in 2024-2025.

“As I came in [the spring of 2025], we had a chance to say, ‘Okay, what do we need to be doing right now?’” said Douglas. “[The playground project] rose pretty quickly to the top as an important project… It felt like an early win for families after such a hard year.”

While she is excited about what has been accomplished, Douglas recognizes the strong emotional ties many have to the old playground.

“I want to, obviously, have a place that reveres what has happened, but also not be so wedded to the past that we can’t say there’s a future,” said Douglas.       Douglas also has plans to address high school students’ concerns about the playground’s exclusivity. 

“It just would be really nice for us to find a way to let the kids who grew up playing on the old structure have a chance to be on [the new playground], so that it feels like it’s in [their] DNA also,” said Douglas.

While new memories can always be created, Douglas emphasized the value of not forgetting the past. Prior to this summer’s playground demolition, the original crew of alumni and parents who helped build the old playground in 1991 was invited to USN to reminisce over breakfast and visit their former job site. 

“I don’t want those folks to feel like we have forgotten their contributions. At the same time, [the playground] was no longer safe enough for our kids to play on,” noted Douglas.

While the new playground may look impressive to visitors and provide an exciting space for kids to play, the old playground had a homegrown quality to it that is difficult to replicate or describe. 

One of USN’s most treasured values is its community, and trust in that community was heavily damaged by the events of the last few years. What made the old playground so special was that the community was rooted in its wood. 24 years ago, volunteers, including students, families and staff, came together to build a playground that was enjoyed by thousands of students and saw five directors. It served as a physical reminder of the USN community spirit. Each time a pebble found its way into a shoe, a knee was scraped, or a decaying piece of wood led to a splinter, it reminded us of the natural, homespun and community-oriented values USN used to appreciate. 

Whether the new strucure will be embody the same sense of community remains to be seen.