Playground Greenville

• March 2003 in Martin Country, NC (USA)
• Melissa Powell (DSM Pharmaceutical Products)

The Grand Opening Ceremony took place on Saturday, 1 November 2003 in the presence of all the children and their parents at East End Elementary School.

The Weekly Herald - November 7, 2003 (PDF: 1.6 Mb)

The last three Saturdays in May were spent at the playground with a number of volunteers (big and small).

Because play is a child's work it all adds up to a body and soul mixture of good health. In our modern world of technology and computer games, a younger generation of sit-down, couch-potato, obesity problem children has been created.

Play enhances a variety of skills for children including strength, endurance, balance, coordination, social skills, teamwork skills, turn taking, sharing, etc.

Children can learn that fitness is fun through daily activities that invite them to use their imagination and Be Kids first! This early learning promotes a lifetime of good health and fitness. Good health and great minds that create our leaders for tomorrow.

East End Elementary is an elementary school that provides education to children in grades Kindergarten through fifth grade located in Martin County, North Carolina, USA. Martin County is just 20 minutes North East of the DSM Pharmaceuticals, Greenville facility and is the home to numerous employees and their families. In the last few years, Martin County has been declared by the state as a severely economy depressed county based on economic growth and job opportunities. The Board of Education has struggled for several years just to fund basic educational requirements in the county. Currently, the playground area of the school is in disrepair with broken or missing equipment and below standard playground surfaces. It lacks the ability to pull kids out to play!

Melissa's dream is to repair equipment and replace missing equipment pieces, enhance play areas and provide additions to the current playground equipment. Swings need new seats and covered chains. Seesaws need new boards as sitting surfaces. Basketball hoops need new backboards, nets and possible new poles. Monkey bars need to be removed, replaced or repaired. The play area needs soil to level holes and safe surfaces added under equipment. Timbers or other materials are need to enclose or confine the surface materials to prevent spillage. Play equipment needs to be painted with bright, lively colors. The large pavement area needs to be cleaned by removing grass and dirt. A fence needs to be added to enhance security and increase safety. Pavement needs enhancement by adding various morels painted on the surface to increase imagination play. Enhance the playground with plants, trees and flowers. Add trashcans to promote cleanliness and benches for rest of socializing. Finally, a water fountain would be nice to help these young children cool down after recess.

On April 14 the award was presented and the project explained to the Martin County Board of Education.

In May all volunteers will spend three complete Saturdays leveling the playground, adding sand, moving old equipment, sanding and painting old equipment and assembling new items that have been ordered. A large piece of climbing equipment, a picnic table to date and two basketball goals are ordered. Children are currently using the blue spool, as shown on the picture, for a table during break time. The new table is large and will sit an entire class.