It may take a village to raise a child, but it takes a whole community to create a playground.
For the past several years, the PTO at Prairie View has been holding fundraisers to purchase a large piece of playground equipment and with the help of students, parents and area businesses, the dream has finally become a reality.
Kelly Wang, parent and PTO member, said the previous playground equipment was old, most dating back to the 1950s and 60s.
“The kids desperately needed it,” she said.
They held several fundraisers, including cookie dough sales in the spring and candle sales near Christmas. The Kids Club at Minnie H also lent a hand by selling merchandise to other students and donating the proceeds.
“It's been ongoing for the past four or five years,” Wang said.
Last year, she said, they decided to send letters to local businesses and ask for help.
“About 90 percent responded,” she said, adding, “Without the community's support, we wouldn't have been able to do this.”
The large piece of equipment holds three slides, a rock climbing wall, several sets of monkey bars and a lot of stairs.
“It's one big huge unit,” she said. “It's colorful. It makes the playground appealing.”
Plus, Wang noted, exercise is an important part of education and the new equipment has been very well-received by the young students. It was installed the first week of May and the students were given a short window of time to play on it before school dismissed for summer vacation.
“They had to wait a week,” she said. “It was torture.”
Wang said Minnie H hosted their annual Family Fun Night at the end of the school year and it was best turnout ever — with all of the children flocking to the new playground equipment.
Wang said they are still doing some fundraising for the final details, but they are more than 75 percent done.
“We raised the money for the equipment, but we need money for the installation,” she said. “We are still paying for that.”
Wang said she is impressed with the efforts of the students and very grateful for the contributions from local businesses. The parents, she noted, should also be commended.
“For a small school, the families really put a lot of work and effort into raising money,” she said.
The PTO, she added, will keep raising money for the installation expenses and other school projects.
“We'll keep doing what we've been doing,” she said.
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It may take a village to raise a child, but it takes a whole community to create a playground.
For the past several years, the PTO at Prairie View has been holding fundraisers to purchase a large piece of playground equipment and with the help of students, parents and area businesses, the dream has finally become a reality.
Kelly Wang, parent and PTO member, said the previous playground equipment was old, most dating back to the 1950s and 60s.
“The kids desperately needed it,” she said.
They held several fundraisers, including cookie dough sales in the spring and candle sales near Christmas. The Kids Club at Minnie H also lent a hand by selling merchandise to other students and donating the proceeds.
“It's been ongoing for the past four or five years,” Wang said.
Last year, she said, they decided to send letters to local businesses and ask for help.
“About 90 percent responded,” she said, adding, “Without the community's support, we wouldn't have been able to do this.”
The large piece of equipment holds three slides, a rock climbing wall, several sets of monkey bars and a lot of stairs.
“It's one big huge unit,” she said. “It's colorful. It makes the playground appealing.”
Plus, Wang noted, exercise is an important part of education and the new equipment has been very well-received by the young students. It was installed the first week of May and the students were given a short window of time to play on it before school dismissed for summer vacation.
“They had to wait a week,” she said. “It was torture.”
Wang said Minnie H hosted their annual Family Fun Night at the end of the school year and it was best turnout ever — with all of the children flocking to the new playground equipment.
Wang said they are still doing some fundraising for the final details, but they are more than 75 percent done.
“We raised the money for the equipment, but we need money for the installation,” she said. “We are still paying for that.”
Wang said she is impressed with the efforts of the students and very grateful for the contributions from local businesses. The parents, she noted, should also be commended.
“For a small school, the families really put a lot of work and effort into raising money,” she said.
The PTO, she added, will keep raising money for the installation expenses and other school projects.
“We'll keep doing what we've been doing,” she said.
