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“But recess schedules do overlap, so we can have 150 to 200 children out there. Even though they’re not all climbing on the castle or swinging, that equipment can get very crowded,” Mr. Smith said. “The pirate ship would double the play capacity, and that would be a significant improvement.”
“Aye, aye,” say the boys and girls in Mrs. Virginia Striplin’s third grade class who chose the promotion of the pirate ship fund raiser and construction project as their special writing assignment for the week.
“The playground is always so crowded that there is hardly any place to play,” said Kristy Fletcher.
“It is so crowded that the older kids sometimes knock the younger kids doton. That shouldn’t happen," Betsy Welk said.
“Some of us wait to swing and when we finally get to swing, our class is going in,” added Amanda Weakley.
“It’s hard to have fun when it’s crowded,” affirmed Ashley Corbin. “Kindergarteners get knocked down and third graders get pushed.”
Knowing the concerns of adults, Mrs. Striplin’s students took care to address one important point in their reports. “We very much want a pirate ship with a plank - but not very high!” Wayne North noted.
“Parents, this ship will not be dangerous,” emphasized Jennifer Starr, expressing sentiments that were repeated a dozen times.
The kids are right; adults are concerned about safety. So the insurance carrier for the county’s public schools is now reviewing the plans for the pirate ship. “If any problems are found, the design will be modified to correct them,” said Mrs. Kreyling. She pointed out that the pirate ship’s play space isn’t as high off the ground as the castle which has made the county park such a popular spot with the youngest crowd. “And we’ve had no serious accidents there.”
The fund raiser for the elementary school’s pirate ship officially began January 22 when letters with pledge cards went home with kids. Volunteers will be at the school daily until February 16 to collect the returned envelopes. The two classes (kindergarten through third grade and fourth through seventh) that raise the most money will be treated with a pizza party. For the 10 chil
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