Give & Grow worked with Kennedy Elementary School (KES) to revitalize their playground. This school has an experienced and dedicated staff teaching over 800 students, whom Give & Grow chose to work with based on need. For six months Give & Grow worked with KES, tutoring students from kindergarten to fifth grade, and the playground improvement was the culmination of the service at KES. In the 4.2 sq mi area around KES, 9,200 children reside with only one park. The improvements in the playground area described below foster a safer and more productive learning environment. This benefits not only the students of KES, but also the large population of children living in the immediate area.
Painting Murals on Building Walls
The walls surrounding the playground were plain brick, and the entire play area appeared very bleak. Give & Grow designed and painted a 170-foot mural on the entire back wall of the school building. The mural illustrates fruits and vegetables playing sports and being active. This is to promote a healthy lifestyle pivotal in combating childhood obesity. This mural not only provides color and vitality to the playground but addresses an important topic.
Improvements to the Playing Field
The field used by the students at Kennedy Elementary School was a dusty barren field with no plants or trees. A chain link fence enclosed the field. Give & Grow planted trees and shrubs to create a more inviting field. Give & Grow also installed attractive netting to cover the fence. The improvements to the field create areas of shade as well as cover the unattractive fencing, producing an enclosed greener field.
Creating a Baseball Field
Baseball is played almost daily on the KES playfield. There was a backstop fence, but there was no baseball field cut into the grass. Give & Grow cut a baseball field to provide the students with a functional and impressive field to play baseball on.
Painting Playground Games
KES is an elementary school of over 800 students who regularly play games, such as “four square,” on the pavement. However, the games were colorless and lacked vitality. Give & Grow painted the “four square” grid, dodge ball boundaries, and other playground games in vibrant colors.
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