Bent Elementary School students and staff attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday for a newly-completed playground expansion and greenspace.
The $270,000 project took about a month to build. The playground additions include swings, new areas for climbing and additional shade.
Efforts to pay for the project included fundraisers from Bent’s parent-teacher organization [PTO]; a spending request from state Rep. Sharon Chung through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, some of which District 87 put toward the project; and a $5,000 donation from a local Dick’s Sporting Goods store.
“It's so much more fun to play on it,” said fifth-grader Eli Harriel. Many students had already begun to use the playground after the construction was complete, though Monday was the ribbon cutting.
“It's been years of planning and coordinating and fundraising for our dream to come true,” said Guille Delgado, principal of Bent Elementary.
A playground committee, consisting of parents and teachers including those within the PTO, collaborated to help create design plans for the project. The committee reached out to students and other teachers through surveys for feedback on desired features.
“We were talking about how good the playground is, and how much we love the playground,” said Harriel about conversations he had with his friends. Harriel does not anticipate he will get much use of the preexisting slides and monkey bars he used to frequent anytime soon. He and his friends are more excited to use the new equipment, but those options are still present.
Superintendent David Mouser, members of the PTO and school board and other supportive adults were present at the event. Mouser, Chung and Delgado all addressed the students, complete with Spanish translations from Delgado; about 45% of Bent students are Spanish speakers.
“To see our board and our state representatives supporting, and our leaders from the district was amazing, because it truly shows the family that we are here in District 87,” said Delgado.
