Park Elementary fourth grader Connor Kelley runs up to kick the ball as the first plate appearance following the ribbon cutting of the new kickball field at the school Wednesday, May 7.
By Robert Tomlinson
News Director
PARK TWP. — A new activity area on the playground of Park Elementary near Three Rivers is giving students a place where they can say it happened mainly because of them.
On Wednesday, May 7, Park Elementary administrators and members of the school’s Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) celebrated the official opening of the new “Field of Dreams” kickball field on the school’s playground, a projected funded by a student fundraiser and completed by the PTO.
The field, located on the southeast side of the playground, has four all-weather bases laid out in the grass field, with metal benches provided by R+R Trailers. The part of the playground the field is laid in, according to Park PTO member Scott Headley, was empty for quite some time, and school staff wanted to utilize the space better beginning about a year ago.
“There was a need and a want from the staff to utilize this area for the kids. They brought the proposal to the PTO, we said that we would fund it,” Headley said.
Funds for the project came mainly from a Fall Fun Run fundraiser event the PTO held at the school back in the fall, which was their major fundraising event for the year. Headley added there was a smaller fundraiser held earlier this spring, where students got to enter for a chance to be on an “all-star” team for the first official game on the field that played against the teachers and administrators.
“This is funded by the students, it’s for the students by the students,” Headley said.
Headley said the bases were officially put down back in the fall, so there were some unofficial first games played on the field before the winter set in and some in the spring already, but he said they wanted to wait for some better weather to officially cut the ribbon on the field.
“I know they’ve been utilizing it this spring, so I know there’s been a few foul balls that’ve gone into neighbor’s yards, but that’s part of the fun of it,” Headley said.
The weather was fairly warm the day of the ribbon cutting, with all of the students in the school making their way to the new field to watch the action unfold. Following the ribbon cutting, the game between the student all-stars and the teachers commenced, with the students and teachers cheering each other on the entire time.
While the score wasn’t necessarily kept, what mattered was the students having a good time and enjoying the first official game on their own new field.
“It makes a great use of our space, and as you can see by where the basepaths are, we’re already wearing it out, and I can’t wait to break it in even more,” Park Elementary Principal Amanda Fahnestock said. “It’s a very exciting and a proud moment for all of us, and there’s a lot of kids fully invested in the game going on. What a cool way to raise money for the school.”
Robert Tomlinson can be reached at 279-7488 or robert@wilcoxnewspapers.com.
