SALISBURY — From zip lines to trampolines, Salisbury Elementary School students got a chance to have their voices heard Wednesday as they weighed in on the school’s next playground.
“Today the kids are going to vote on what they’d like to see in our future playground, so that we can get some ideas kids want to see and want to use each day,” SES Assistant Principal Jane Keeler said.
Students in every grade got the chance to vote during their lunch period Wednesday. Over the sound of excited chatter, Keeler explained the vote was the first big step in what has been an ongoing process.
“We actually started having conversations about building a new play structure about two to three years ago. We knew that the current play structure was starting to deteriorate and would probably need to come down at some point,” Keeler said.
The current playground’s fate was sealed last school year, according to Keller, who said a company came out to check it out because it needed repairs.
“It pretty much was determined that it was beyond repair and needed to come down,” Keeler said.
Working with the Salisbury Parent Teacher Association, Keeler they have tried to keep it a grassroots movement.
“We work with the community, the constituents, and other stakeholders. And then all of the funding that’s generated will be done through our PTA,” Keeler said.
PTA member Cheri Herdman said they formed a committee comprised of PTA members, parents, as well as Keeler and SES Principal Michael Astuccio.
“We’ve all been working together. There are a lot of parents who have been vocal wanting a playground for the kids,” Herdman said.
Keeler said they do not have a projected start date or cost, as they are still workshopping designs.
“We’re working with a couple of different companies right now,” Keeler said.
During lunch time, students were called table by table to vote, getting two stickers to vote for their favorite ideas, and then writing any ideas they had that were not options on a separate board.
Among the options available to vote for were slides, swings, climbers, spinners, monkey bars, balancers, seesaws, and spring riders. Early on, climbers were a strong favorite.
During third-grade lunch, student Kamilla Pereira said she was happy she and her classmates had the opportunity to offer their ideas, noting that not every student loved the old playground and sharing what she most hopes to see on the new one.
“I would most like to see the zip line and monkey bars,” Pereira said.
Fellow third-grader Luca Russo also wanted a zip line, explaining why he thought so many kids had the same idea.
“Zip lines are really fast and they’re really fun. On the last playground, we had something like a zip line,” Russo said.
Another idea thrown out was a trampoline, with third-grader Bailey Borque sharing her reasoning.
“That would be really exciting because it would be so much fun. And we could fit like the whole grade,” Borque said.
As the PTA continues to raise funds for the playground, Herdman shared some upcoming fundraisers including one at Backyard Burger and Wings on March 9, starting at 4 p.m.
Another is set to be held at Chipotle on April 12 also beginning at 4 p.m.
“That one you need a flyer or a QR code,” Herdman said.