Tyler

By MEGAN MIDDLETON
Staff Writer

Students at Jack Elementary are enjoying new playground equipment thanks to donations and fundraising efforts from the community.

A colorful new piece of playground equipment - complete with slides, a ladder and climbing wall - for the youngest grades at the school was installed earlier this month, and students came out to celebrate and say, "thank you," Thursday morning, along with Tyler Independent School District officials.

"When you think of children, you think of them playing," said Jack Elementary Principal Shauna Hittle. "We work very hard every day within the school walls. To see them out here just enjoying themselves and each other and enjoying school is a really great feeling."

"Wow," was the initial reaction from students when they saw the playground equipment, Ms. Hittle said.

"It was like Christmas" for them," she said.

Students, including 5-year-old Anna Stone, got to briefly play on the equipment Thursday morning just after the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Anna, who is in kindergarten, said the playground is exciting, "because it's brand new."

When she plays on it, she said she does "everything," but her favorite part is the rock climbing.

Lisa Preddy, president of the Jack PTA, said the playground cost about $22,000 and was made possible by donations and PTA fundraising efforts.

"The generosity of the businesses and foundations in Tyler is beyond words," Ms. Preddy said.

Jack Elementary is the first new non-replacement campus for TISD in more than 20 years. It opened to students in August.

Ms. Hittle said the school would not have been able to provide a playground at this point without the donors who supported the project.

"They saw a need and they filled the need," she said. "The biggest question we had when students entered our school was, "where's the playground?" she said. "We weren't able to provide that at first. But we were able to provide hope. And we said soon there will be one ... and it was strictly because of the help of our donors."

Donors included Brook-shire's, the Watson Wise Foun-dation, Petty's Landscape and Irrigation, the Fair Foundation and Texas Bank & Trust.

The playground is compatible for children with disabilities and was built with safety and fun in mind, Ms. Preddy said.

Money raised also helped pay for basketball and soccer goals, which will also be available for the older students to use.

Money is still being raised to pay for playground equipment for the older Jack Elementary students.

Ms. Preddy said they hope to have that in place before the end of the school year.

PLAYTIME: Jack Elementary Principal Shauna Hittle helps cut the ribbon in front of the new playground equipment for Pre-K students, kindergartners and first-graders at Jack.
((Staff Photo By Megan Middleton))