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Weyanoke Elementary School was the recipient of the new facility, with a $30,000 grant.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Volunteers from across the country gathered in Alexandria Sunday morning to help build a new playground for local elementary students.
More than 75 school principals joined forces and dug in on a new goal: to make recess even better for all the students of Weyanoke Elementary School.
"I'm very very happy that our school gets something nice and new and that all of our students will be able to access it," Weyanoke principal Felicia Usher said. "The kids are also extremely excited, of course, to be able to have something new to play on."
Each year, the National Association of Elementary School Principals meets for a conference and a local school is chosen to receive a new, ADA-compliant playground. Weyanoke is a Title 1 school supporting low-income students, and principal Usher says this gift will go far.
"We want to make sure that students have at least 30 minutes of recess on top of PE and all of the other things, to be able to get that exercise and to also be able to build those social connections with each other, and to be able to just run around and get some energy out," Usher said. "It's very very important for their growth and development."
Along with all the volunteer work the project comes with a $30,000 donation from NAESP so the playground can be enjoyed for years to come.
"I think, part of us as principals, what we do is we give to children and our school communities," Dave Steckler, president of NAESP. "This is just a better way to give to a lot of school communities across the country."
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