Shasta Elementary Opens $87,000 Playground Built With Community Support
Students celebrated the new playground Monday after years of fundraising by the school’s Booster Club helped pay for new structures, swings, and an obstacle course.
AT A GLANCE
Project: New playground equipment at Shasta Elementary School
Cost: $87,000
New features: Playground structure, obstacle course, and swings
Funding: Shasta Elementary School Booster Club fundraising, including its annual Spring Fling
Community support: Local contractors donated excavation and site-preparation work, while parents and teachers helped finish the playground area
Booster Club impact: More than $200,000 in school improvements over the past decade
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. — Shasta Elementary students wasted little time putting their new playground to use Monday after a ribbon cutting officially opened $87,000 worth of new equipment funded through years of community support.
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The project includes a new playground structure, obstacle course, and swings installed over the past two weeks at the Klamath Falls school.
Much of the work was made possible through fundraising by the Shasta Elementary School Booster Club, which raises money each year through its Spring Fling and student sales of $1 raffle tickets.
Students, staff, and supporters gathered Monday for the ribbon cutting before children filled the new equipment for its first day of play.
The final push to complete the project came Saturday, when about 15 parents and teachers volunteered to clean the area and spread bark around the new structures.
The project also received donated labor from local contractors. Josh Hansen, owner of J & S Construction, and Chris Ricketts of Rocky Mountain Construction donated their time and expertise to excavate and prepare the playground for installation.
First Day of Play: Students try out the new slides and climbing equipment following Monday’s ribbon cutting. Klamath County School District.
Longtime Booster Club member Meghan Schols said members wanted the latest round of fundraising to go toward an improvement students could directly enjoy.
“I personally wanted something that the kids could really enjoy,” Schols said. “They don’t care as much about a new drinking fountain or new asphalt.”
The playground is the latest in a series of improvements funded with help from the Booster Club.
Shasta Principal Randy Rose said the organization has contributed more than $200,000 toward school improvements over the past decade.
Previous projects have included installation of an in-ground sprinkler system, construction of an outdoor classroom, and resealing of the school’s back playground.
“We get a tremendous amount of community support,” Rose said. “It’s just been an incredible effort by everyone to make this happen for our students.”
The new playground now gives students additional slides, climbing features, swings, and obstacle-style equipment alongside the school’s existing recreation areas.
New Playground: Shasta Elementary’s new playground includes slides, climbing structures, and other play features funded with help from the school’s Booster Club. Klamath County School District.
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