School Playground
PLAYGROUND
$1.8 Million Play Space Opens At PS 223 In Queens As New York Road Runners Kick Off Marathon Week
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- To kickoff New York City Marathon Week, New York Road Runners are unveiling a series of charitable projects. One is a new school yard for students in Jamaica, Queens.
For the last several years, NYRR has teamed up with a nonprofit group to create more play spaces for kids. This is their 11th in the five boroughs, CBS2's Natalie Duddridge reported Monday.
Young runners at P.S. 223 Community School said they won big when it came to their brand new school yard. It's officially open after a major upgrade.
"They love it... My friend, Isaac, he says that he loves the soft ground because he gets to build a grass snowman, he calls it," said third grader Jameel Ross.
When Principal Tekesha Babb started here two years ago, she said the yard used to be just tennis courts.
"What I noticed in the first few months is that the nurses office, there was constantly students coming in because they didn't have an area for them to play safely and to engage in structured opportunities for play," said Babb.
Now it's a dozen different play structures.
"It has an outdoor classroom, a garden that the students planted, and it has a stage for performances," said Mary Alice Lee, director of the nonprofit Trust for Public Land's New York City Playgrounds Program.
The students even got to help design this $1.8 million project.
Advocates said 28 million kids across the country have no access to park space. That inspired NYRR to team up with The Trust For Public Land to take existing empty schoolyards and revamp them for the entire community.
Kids, like Jameel, said they'll be able to run faster than ever now.
"Sometimes, I go around the track and it helps me remember that I'm fast, just like a cheetah," Jameel said.
Students said they're already training to run the New York City Marathon one day.
When school is out, the space is open to the entire neighborhood until it closes at dusk.
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/nyrr-charitable-projects-queens-playground/
April 8, 2021
Re: New School and Community Playground at PS 223Q
Dear P.S. 223 Families and Community Members,
We are pleased to announce that, starting on April 12, 2021, The Trust for Public Land’s NYC Playground Program will begin renovation of the PS 223 schoolyard.
As you may be aware, students, staff and community members helped design the new school and community playground. The final design includes an artificial turf field, running track, basketball courts, tennis courts, outdoor classroom with turf pod, benches, trees, a drinking fountain, trash and recycling cans, play equipment, a community garden and student color seal art.
Construction will take place during the week during school hours and is scheduled to be complete by Fall 2021. Due to the construction, we have to adjust arrival and dismissal procedures for our 3-5 students only. Students will not be able to enter the schoolyard. There will be an entryway on the side of the playground for students to enter and exit the building. Once in the building they will wait in the auditorium for their teachers. At the end of the day students will be dismissed in the front of the building on the side closest to the flag post. Students who are picked up, will wait with a staff member, until someone comes to get them.
When the playground is finished, we will use it during the school day, and it will be open to the public afterschool and on weekends. The school custodial staff will continue to maintain the playground.
This is an exciting opportunity for the children and community of PS 223. I look forward to creating many memories with the students, staff and all community members on our new playground.
Sincerely,
Tekesha Babb
Principal
