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Aug. 23 – CROOKSTON, Minn. – The new playground planned for Highland Elementary School in Crookston will take a modern, comprehensive approach to giving kids a fun place to play, said Chris Trostad, principal of Highland Elementary School in Crookston.
He said the idea for the playground comes on the heels of a school expansion project that will eventually include the kindergarten and pre-kindergarten sections of Washington Elementary School.
“So, we needed another playground that would accommodate different ages,” he said. “The playground we have is really designed for middle school age kids, so fourth through eighth grade.”
Highland focused on creating a playground that complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act, working with RiverView Health’s Kaitlyn Michno to research and plan the best equipment. Some of the planned equipment and accessibility features include a rubber footrest for wheelchairs, walkers and strollers, wheelchair ramps, deep swings and swings for balance support, stainless steel slides to accommodate cochlear implants, a wheelchair-accessible glider with seat and handrails, foundation materials and depth design for fall height safety, an accessible music station, activity panels and multiple zone designs to promote coordination, sensory integration, social interaction and cognitive development, according to the playground’s brochure.
The stadium cost $416,000 and the school is seeking to raise $400,000. Highland held a fundraiser with KROX Radio via a radio marathon at Crookston High School on Thursday, Aug. 15. By the next morning, donations had surpassed $100,000, and additional funding from businesses and individuals since then brings the total to $115,000. The generosity of the community isn’t surprising, Trostad said, but it’s been interesting to see how many people have contributed.
“It’s very hard not to want to help kids with disabilities or special needs, and I think people come from outside because this is a unique fundraising event,” he said. “You don’t see a lot of those and I think there are a lot of people who want to do whatever they can to help these students.”
The school will continue to collect donations throughout the year, using an idea inspired by another school. Glen Lake Elementary School in Minnetonka, Minnesota, collected coins to help pay for an inclusive playground. Highland plans to do something similar, hosting a coin drive and asking students, as well as others in the community, to bring coins to school.
Although fundraising is underway, work on the stadium has begun with the construction of the foundation. Trostad said he has heard that installation of the stadium could begin during the first or second week of September, although weather and other factors could change that.
“I was told they expect to finish the project by mid-October,” he said. “We always know that when it comes to construction projects, there are a lot of unknowns that delay things, but the company we are working with has been great.”
When the project is completed, children across the region will be welcome to experience it, Trostad said.
Those interested in donating to the playground can do so by sending checks to Highland Elementary School or by going to their page on
Northwest Minnesota Foundation
Website. More information about the stadium can be found on its official Facebook page,
https://www.facebook.com/highlandinclusiveplayground
.
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