Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Kids have a blast at new $90,000 playground
WEST GOSHEN » Students yelped with joy Friday night as they climbed, wiggled and swung at Glen Acres Elementary School.
More than 200 Glen Acres parents and students celebrated the school’s new playground during a ribbon cutting ceremony.
Fourth grader Nicky Frasca favored the Zip line.
“You can zip like a maniac!” he said, with a broad smile.
The school’s Parent Teacher Organization spearheaded a
wildly successful drive to collect $45,000 toward the $90,000 cost, during a three-month time period, in order to open the playground this year.
The West Chester Area School District maintains playgrounds but will not pay for a new one. The PTO started the fund drive to install the school-colored green equipment in 2013.
“Children are definitely more engaged in the playground, with a lot more current playground equipment in place,” Donna Ryan, Glen Acres Eagle principal said.
PTO President Janey Wolff said the drive to fund the playground renovation project showed “amazing school spirit.”
She said she was tempted to personally check out the new equipment but knew “her limitations.”
Stephanie Beisser, PTO treasurer, noted that portion of the playground is assessable to students in wheelchairs.
Her daughter, 4th grader Kendall Beisser, most enjoys the Zip line and Hop, Skip and Slide.
“It’s really fun to play on,” Kendall said. “My mom put in a lot of thought when putting this together and I appreciate it.”
The tot lot features four areas of play: spinning; sliding; swinging; and balance.
Township Supervisor Hugh Purnell attended the ribbon cutting with his wife Shelagh “nee Doherty” Purnell who taught 5th grade during 1965, at the elementary school, during the school’s inaugural year.