The Windham Primary School will dedicate a granite bench Saturday afternoon in honor of Candace Woolston, the third-grade teacher who died of cancer in late 2012.

The dedication, from 1-3 p.m., will coincide with a grand re-opening of the school’s new playgrounds.

At the event, Superintendent Sandy Prince will speak, the Third Grade Chorus will sing, and children’s musician Rick Charette of Windham will perform.

Since August 2013, the school has been phasing out its original playground, which dates to the construction of the primary school 22 years ago, according to Michelle Jordan, the coordinator of the Windham Primary School Playground Fund. The old playground’s age and condition have been an ongoing issue, Jordan said, due to poor drainage, aging equipment, and a lack of handicapped access and sufficient space. The fundraising drive raised $54,000 from private donors and another $100,000 from the school budget to build the playgrounds, which feature fields, a basketball court and equipment.

The second “pod” of the new playground and Candace’s Bench, a 5-foot granite bench in Woolston’s honor that overlooks the playground, were installed late last fall, Jordan said. According to Jordan, school officials wanted to wait until warmer weather to commemorate the new playground and the bench.

“We’ve never had a community event around opening the playground and we also wanted to have an event in Candace’s memory,” Jordan said. “We had to wait until spring, obviously, because of all of the snow and everything else.”

Four of Woolston’s five siblings, as well as her husband, Jack, and sons, Tyler and Will, will attend the ceremony, according to Woolston’s sister, Pat Weigel of Falmouth. Woolston, who died at the age of 49, was a longtime commercial lender who decided to pursue her dream of teaching and taught at the primary school for three years, Weigel said.

Inscribed on the bench, which is located on a hill overlooking the new playground, is the Dr. Seuss quote, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

“We picked that quote because it captures her passion around reading and literacy and education,” Weigel said. “No matter where she went, she was just trying to make the community a better place.”

According to Weigel, Woolston was a “watchful” person who “would always make sure that nobody was left by themselves.” That’s why the family chose to situate the bench where they did, she said.

“[We chose] an area for kids who wanted a bit of quiet space while they were engaged in reading, so they could still be overlooking the energy and the kids playing,” she said. “I also kind of picture it as it’s my sister’s spot to watch out for what’s happening on that playground.”

Principal Kyle Rhoads, who hired Woolston, said he agreed with Weigel.

“She was an excellent teacher who cared deeply about her students,” he said. “I think the bench represents her well because it’s centered around kids and that definitely was the heart of her.”

Candace Woolston’s sons, Tyler, 14, left, and Will, 11, sit on the bench dedicated in her honor at the Windham Primary School’s playground. Woolston, a third-grade teacher at Windham Primary School, died in December 2012.Photo courtesy of Pat WeigelMichelle Jordan, the coordinator of the Windham Primary School Playground Fund, sits in the playground’s new web climber. A grand re-opening ceremony for the facility takes place Saturday.Staff photo by Ezra Silk