New playground opens at Carpenter Elementary

From left: school board members Nancy Swenson and Barbara Samperi, Carpenter Elementary Principal Diana Verduzco, school board members Tod Corrin, Donald LaPlante, D. Mark Morris, Martha Sodetani and Giggy Perez-Saab, and Superintendent Dr. John Garcia.

DOWNEY - Carpenter Elementary School’s Global Language Academies of Downey (G.L.A.D.) held a ribbon cutting ceremony last week to unveil its new kindergarten playground. 

Carpenter, previously a campus that housed only fourth and fifth grade students, has been the inaugural location for Downey Unified’s G.L.A.D. which provides a Dual Language Immersion program beginning with transitional kindergarten (TK) and kindergarten students.

Now in the second semester of its first year, this Dual Language Immersion program will continue to expand each year until students from TK to fifth grade are biliterate learners.

The decision to house G.L.A.D. on the Carpenter campus made it necessary to provide more appropriate facilities for the younger students, officials said. This playground is the latest adjustment to the campus to better suit recess for Carpenter’s TK and kindergarten students.

Those in attendance for the official ribbon cutting were Downey Unified’s Board of Education, Superintendent Dr. Garcia, Downey Unified administration, Carpenter Elementary School Principal Diana Verduzco and G.L.A.D. teachers, staff, students and parents.