Thanks to our sponsors and volunteers, the PGO is happy to announce that the CF Rotary Playground is open! Read about the build from this Amherst Bulletin story by Nick Grabbe:
Meet and Greet: Crocker Farm Playground Draws Old and New
The 50 volunteers who gathered at Crocker Farm School last week were doing more than just building a new playground. They were also building a community.
"It reminded me of the barn-raising days of yore," said Lucy McMurrer, co-chair of the school's Parent Guardian Organization. "People were meeting each other, and at the end of the day, we were able to say, 'We accomplished this.'"
Crocker Farm has had a higher percentage of children from low-income families than Amherst's other elementary schools, and it also has had the least attractive and functional playground, said Becky Demling, the other PGO co-chair. The School Committee has redrawn the district lines to equalize the income percentages, and Crocker Farm will be getting lots of new students this fall.
Principal Mike Morris, who was among the volunteers last Friday, said he "celebrated that there are so many people coming out. Parents of kids in the same class are getting to know each other."
Old meets new
Among the volunteers were current Crocker Farm parents, new parents, teachers, neighbors, former students and parents of children in other schools. The Rotary Club of Amherst, which donated more than half of the $45,000 cost of the playground, was also represented.
Becca Green-Van Horn recently had surgery on her foot, so she couldn't do any work, but she brought doughnuts to the volunteers.
"It's inspiring that so many people cared enough to help Crocker Farm," said Demling. "It's such a community effort when all these people come together to make something happen."
Matt Cornell's daughter will be a new fourth-grader at Crocker Farm, and he met several other parents at the event. He said of organizer Demling, "We're grateful to have someone who cares so much."
The new playground sits mostly under two maple trees near the school. The equipment is built of metal and plastic, so there will be no splinters, a problem that has diminished the enjoyment of wooden play structures at Amherst schools. Some parts of the playground at now-closed Mark's Meadow School were incorporated into the layout.
'Perfect initiation'
Derek Shea, Crocker Farm's new assistant principal, said working on the playground is "the perfect initiation for me. People chat with me and get to know me a bit. It's nice to get out and meet community members."
Rotarian Bob Meyers lives in Belchertown but works at a business in Amherst. "Since the Amherst community supports me, I look for ways to give back to the community," he said.
Teacher Lauren Matone called it "serendipity" that the new playground is appearing just before all the new students come to Crocker Farm. "It's a chance to add on to the community we already have," she said.
At about 6 p.m., many Crocker Farm parents and their children came to see the completed playground. They marveled at the new slide, the climbing wall and the "X-Wave," a kind of balance beam that accommodates up to 20 children and gives them the sensation of riding a wave.
"We built something for kids, so I'm happy," said Stephen Armstrong, director of the tutoring center, Kumon of Amherst, another donor.
One of the volunteers was ninth-grader Sam Meyers, who attended Crocker Farm and remembers the old playground. "If I were a little kid, I'd be pretty excited," he said.
