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Students in West Scranton surprised with new playground they will design

Students at Frances Willard Elementary School react to the announcement that the school will receive a playground.
Sarah Hofius Hall
/
WVIA News
Students at Frances Willard Elementary School react to the announcement that the school will receive a playground.

Anticipation grew with a drumroll. The announcement made the students at Frances Willard Elementary School scream.

The school in West Scranton will receive a new playground – and the students will design it.

The school’s 350 students gathered in the multipurpose room on Tuesday, welcomed by the West Scranton High School cheerleaders and marching band.

“I'm excited for everybody to have play things, and I get to play with everything,” said Nova Chapman, 8. “I want people to be all friends.”

The city of Scranton, Scranton School District, Valley in Motion and Trust for Public Land announced their third collaboration to build safe, green schoolyards at city elementary schools.

Scranton Superintendent Erin Keating, right, speaks during the assembly. Principal Shannon Rucker stands on the left.
Sarah Hofius Hall
/
WVIA News
Scranton Superintendent Erin Keating, right, speaks during the assembly. Principal Shannon Rucker stands on the left.

Projects at John F. Kennedy Elementary and John G. Whittier Elementary – partially funded with $500,000 of Scranton’s American Rescue Plan Act allocation – are ongoing. The groups will seek grants and private donations for the project at Willard, estimated to cost $900,000.

The city entered into a partnership in 2022 with Trust for Public Land, which has an office in Philadelphia, to increase access to public parks.

“We know that we're a low-income school district. We know we're a low-income area. The more opportunities we give kids, the better things are always going to be,” Superintendent Erin Keating said. “It's fantastic for us to be able to do this and for kids to have input into it. They take ownership of it, which is what it's all about.”

The cracked surface of the current playground will receive a complete transformation.
Sarah Hofius Hall
/
WVIA News
The cracked surface of the current playground will receive a complete transformation.

The playspace will replace the cracked asphalt on which the students have recess and is part of a bigger plan to increase parks in the city, Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti said. It will be open to the community after school hours.

During the school day, it's so important that kids have an outlet. These asphalt parking lots that are at some of these schools, they're not sufficient,” Cognetti said. “We need to have really, really good playgrounds for these kids to be able to get their energy out, learn how to play with each other, learn respect and learn sports… all the things that come with a playground at school.”

After Tuesday’s assembly, students returned to their classrooms to draw their dream playgrounds. The third-grade students in Annamae Martinelli's class will serve as “project managers” and take a larger role in the design and planning.

Addison Fazzi, 8, wants a seesaw and a twisty slide. Deveon Shepherd, 8, wants a tire swing and monkey bars – and swings safe enough for the youngest students in the school to enjoy.

Allana Ponas, 9, wants a sensory wall for students with autism.

“It's not just for our class,” she said. “It's for the whole school, and everybody's excited about it.”

Sarah Hofius Hall worked at The Times-Tribune in Scranton since 2006. For nearly all of that time, Hall covered education, visiting the region's classrooms and reporting on issues important to students, teachers, families and taxpayers.

You can email Sarah at sarahhall@wvia.org