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Playground design will draw on students' dreams(Omaha World-Herald (NE) (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) May 17--Right now, it's a pretty sterile-looking area: some grass, some sand, a couple of soccer nets. Some might call it bleak. But on July 17, that's going to change. The playground on the north side of Omaha's Jackson Elementary School, 31st and Jackson Streets, will be transformed into a kids' paradise. On that day, KaBOOM!, a nonprofit organization that builds playground equipment and play spaces across the country, will be in charge of an army of volunteers working to make that transformation. KaBOOM!, in partnership with the Chrysler Foundation and Baxter and Performance Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge of Omaha, will install playground equipment. But this week, Matt Kaftor, a KaBOOM! representative from California, was at Jackson School to get some help in its design. And who better to provide ideas than the kids who will play there? "Kids are the experts," Kaftor said as he faced about 20 students from the school. The kids, representing kindergarten through sixth grade, were asked to close their eyes and imagine their dream playgrounds. Then they were asked to put their ideas on paper. On hand for the undertaking was Omaha Public Schools Superintendent John Mackiel. "This is a great opportunity for the kids," he said, as the young artists took up pencils, crayons and markers. "They are crafting their future." He said the school playground is more than a place to play at recess. It's important as a place where children learn about relationships, learn how to get along, learn how to settle disagreements. And Jackson Elementary was the perfect choice for a KaBOOM! project, Mackiel said, because a play area is needed for children in the neighborhood. Meanwhile, the children were having a great time. Some jumped right into the project and had half their design down on paper before the more thoughtful ones had begun. The drawings were as varied as the artists, ranging from realistic depictions to something closer to abstract expressionism. Francisco Tule, 13, used a small part of his paper, drawing a detailed playhouse. Marisol Ramirez, 11, filled up her space with swings, tetherballs, a dome-shaped jungle gym and a trampoline. Angel Ozuna, 10, drew Mickey Mouse welcoming kids to the playground. The slide that Sandra Pano-Gallardo, 9, drew had four big loops stacked one on top of the other. Victor Pineda, 11, envisioned an elaborate playweb and bridges, while his brother, Michel, 10, drew a giant tunnel and slide. There were treehouses, bumpy slides, rock-climbing walls and basketball hoops. As Jackson Principal Regina Mollak said: "There are no limitations. They're free to dream." After the children finished their part of the project, Kaftor met with OPS representatives, Jackson staff, Mickey and Tal Anderson and Tyrone Williams of Baxter and Performance Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge, Chrysler Foundation representatives and parents to work out how to make those young dreams come true. --Contact the writer: 444-1067, [email protected] To see more of the Omaha World-Herald, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.omaha.com. Copyright (c) 2008, Omaha World-Herald, Neb. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |