Students at John Gregg Elementary have some new reasons to enjoy recess after receiving a much-needed upgrade of its playground.

Principal Tammy Burchfield said school fundraisers helped make the improvement and the equipment cost roughly $5,300. Now her estimated 400 students have a place to play and burn off energy.

“The playground set we had kept falling apart and getting repaired, so we got rid of it,” Burchfield said.
“We had Little Caesar’s pizza orders twice last year and pepperoni roll sales and all of the money goes into the principal’s fund. All of the funding goes back to the students, and because of the fundraisers I was able to give something back to the kids.”

She said the two previous fundraisers raised upwards of $5,000 and the most recent event added about $3,000 to the coffers. A pepperoni roll sale was getting under way with the yummy treats available for $2 each, and half of the cost goes back to the school. The treats are being provided by Pepperoni Rollers of Cadiz and Burchfield said this was the second year for the sale.

The equipment was purchased over the summer and installed within the past few weeks, giving children a chance to have fun while the weather was still favorable. Burchfield added that the playground set on roughly two acres of land, but wet conditions often left the ground muddy and children unable to play for months at a time and she one day hopes to remedy the situation.

“We have a wide area for the playground, but the area where they play is a muddy mess in the rain. From November to March, it is almost impossible for the kids to go outside because the ground is soft. I’d love to have a future playground project that gives them some firm ground to play on,” she added. “The like to go outside and have fun and they play hard, and we want them to play and have fun.”

She has addressed the issue with district leaders and noted the project was not among the plans at this time, but she remains optimistic that one day it will come to fruition. Ideas include adding either rubber mulch or some other material to absorb the moisture and make the surface more pliable.