By Lisa E. Crowley
BrocktonPost
BROCKTON—When students at John F. Kennedy Elementary School return from vacation next week, they will have something that hasn’t been available to them in many, many years: a new playground.
A steady cadre of parents and volunteers have been installing the school’s playground since last week when volunteers from the city’s public works department used a bulldozer to grade and flatten a swath of land in front of the school that had become a broken-down, and according to parents, unsafe area for youngsters.
After this week, it will boast a safe and modern playground with corkscrew slide, monkey bars, climbing wall and a host of other play stations that are part of a $25,000 playground earned by the school through a contest hosted by Miracle Recreation Equipment.
“This was really a community effort,” said Jenna Giannaros, a teacher at the school and one of many parents and staff members who spearheaded a drive to rebuild the school’s playground.
“It’s our little miracle,” Giannaros said.
Giannaros
(pictured below with children Andrew and Alex) and other committee members thanked everyone in the community for their help making the dream of a new playground a reality.
The drive began several years ago with fundraisers, but took a decided turn when the playground committee entered Miracle Equipment’s contest last November.
The contest included voting from the community on Miracle’s website, an essay on why the school was deserving of the new playground and a video—aided by Brockton Community Cable Access’ Noube Rateau—that showed the old playground and interviews with parents, staff and students explaining why the school should win the grand prize.
Miracle Equipment had 150 entries from across the US and between the video and the city collecting the most votes, the Kennedy School walked away with a brand new playground.
The drive was capped by Cumberland Farms holding a fundraising drive and donated a chunk of money from its fountain sales that helped offset other costs, like the rubber surface around the new equipment.
Although the playground will be ready to go for students when they return on Monday, some work is still left.
Parent and school department spokeswoman Jocelyn Meek said plans are in the works to place picnic tables and other furniture for parents and kids to relax and watch as others crawl and play on the new equipment.
Meek said school officials are looking to aid other schools, like the Raymond and the Downey, get playgrounds for their schools.
Volunteers said the equipment isn’t just for students at the school, it’s for all residents in the JFK area who haven’t had a playground to enjoy in decades.
“This was a community effort and it’s for the community,” Giannaros said. “We’re really excited for the kids and the city,” she said.
