Sam Boardman Elementary School has a brand new playground and school officials are celebrating with a ribbon cutting on Thursday, Oct. 25 at 5 p.m. The public is invited.
The previous playground setup had equipment and other activities spread throughout the school grounds, but the new playground is a central location on the southeast corner of school property. Equipment was re-installed there, plus other improvements were made, according to Principal Brandon Hammond.
The playground project was started by the school’s Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), which sponsored several activities to raise funds. Sam Boardman students had “Pennies for our Playground” and “Coins that Count” drives. There was also a “Kiss the Pig” competition with piggy banks filled several times and Banner Bank matching every penny put in. The class that raised the most money chose who would kiss a live piglet, an honor that fell to Martha Mitchell, a second grade teacher.
Other funds were raised from the school carnival and grants totaling $68,555.24 from Columbia River Technologies, Sam Boardman PTO, Lamb Weston, Wildhorse Foundation, Umatilla Electric Cooperative, NW Health Foundation, Kiwanis and Boardman Child Development.
The new playground provides a wonderful opportunity for young people to get outside and play, Hammond said.
“It enhances the whole community and was made possible through a community effort,” he said. “This project shows the character of Boardman and how our community family comes together to support our children.”
