Willie Ross School for the Deaf to Reveal Innovative New Rigamajig Play System

LONGMEADOW — The Willie Ross School for the Deaf (WRSD) will unveil its new Rigamajig, granted by the Morgan Stanley Foundation and the national nonprofit KABOOM!, at an event this Friday, Feb. 18 from 10 a.m. to noon in the Wing Hall at the school, located at 32 Norway St., Longmeadow. Students will get to play with the new system at the fun-filled event. Representatives from the Morgan Stanley Foundation and Willie Ross will be in attendance.

An interactive set of wooden planks, wheels, and pulleys, Rigamajig allows children to develop language, communication, and problem-solving skills that are key to cognitive development and STEM learning. WRSD will incorporate the Rigamajig play set into its school programming, providing a unique, year-round play element for kids.

WRSD provides deaf and hard-of-hearing students access to comprehensive, evidence-based education and support services in the classroom and in the greater community. The school works to maximize each individual’s intellectual, social, and emotional growth from the early-childhood level through high school.

Play is essential to the physical, social, and emotional health of every child. However, far too many kids lack access to safe and fun play opportunities. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on kids has created an even more urgent need to ensure that all kids have opportunities to play where they live and learn.

The partnership with KABOOM! is part of the Morgan Stanley Foundation’s commitment to give kids a healthy start to life. Safe places to play are vital to that commitment. Since the beginning of this long-standing, successful partnership in 2011, Morgan Stanley and KABOOM! have built 25 playgrounds and awarded 42 Imagination Playground and Rigamajig grants, serving more than 36,000 children in communities across the U.S.