PTA ready to work on Playground Project

The PTA hopes to raise money to not only fix, but sustain the playground for years to come.

The Parent/Teacher Association at W.O. Parmer Elementary has a special project it’s working on this year: the Playground Project. And the PTA is asking for the community’s help to get the job done.

The first and second grade playground at the elementary school has definitely seen better days. The giant metal frames of the school bus and car have splintered wood seats and peeling, rusty paint. The ground is covered with hard rocks and isn’t much more than packed dirt. Add dirty slides and no place for kids to sit and enjoy the shade, and you’ve got a pretty sad sight. A sad place that almost 400 students play on every day.

That’s why the PTA decided to take on the Playground Project. The Project aims to renovate the playground, making it a safer and more fun place for the kids to learn and play. Parents understand the school board is doing it’s best with the budget it has, but playgrounds aren’t a top priority for the government to allocate resources. The PTA leaders also know that the great playgrounds at larger schools are often the work of the PTA, not the school board. So they decided they were going to get to work.

The 1st and 2nd grade playground needs a lot of TLC.

“I mean, they’re outside the classroom for thirty minutes,” says PTA President Lynn Branum. “And then they’re put back in a classroom. So it’s important that in that thirty minutes they get to have a safe place to play and run and not worry about things.”

The PTA also says the Butler County Superintendent and W.O. Parmer Principal have been amazingly supportive and helpful. Parents don’t blame the school system for how the playground looks, they blame themselves for not stepping up sooner.

“The school is beautiful. The campus is beautiful. We have new buildings, we have a beautiful cafeteria,” adds PTA Treasurer Christy Bozeman. “I can’t say enough good things about the buildings at W.O. Parmer, but the grounds need some work. And this is where the PTA, and parents can come together and commit to this project, and do something about it.”

PTA leaders are calling for all parents to get involved Saturday, September 10th, the official work day for the Playground Project. Work starts at 7 a.m. and will continue until the project is complete. The PTA is asking every one who is able to come out and help, even if their child doesn’t go to W.O. Parmer. They say it’s a community project now.

The seats of the bus and car are made of splintered wood like this. Parents don’t think it’s safe at all.

“We need the community to come together and make sure the kids have what they need to be in school. Playing is an important part of that,” says Jeff Adams. His daughter attends W.O. Parmer and is a huge fan of the playground’s school bus. He’s putting in the time to help fix his daughter’s favorite place to play. “We’ve got wood, paint, bolts, screws, nuts, paint brushes, the whole nine yards. So we just need labor to help put it all together and have it ready.”

The PTA also needs building supplies and monetary donations. Anyone wishing to give back can click on this link.