UPDATE: Volunteers build ‘more than a playground’ for Roxhill Elementary’s new home at EC Hughes

(First 5 photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand)

10:59 AM: With just three months left until Roxhill Elementary students and staff move to renovated EC Hughes in Sunrise Heights, community members are busy today making sure the kids will have a great place to play.

It’s been one year since Friends of Roxhill Elementary – formerly its PTSA – started its campaign to get funding and other community support for the playground – and today they’re building it! Organizers say more than enough volunteers showed up to help, and shortly after 9 am, they got going. Roxhill principal Tarra Patrick is there to help too:

MIDDAY UPDATE: Progress!

We’ll be checking back later for another progress update. If you weren’t able to help today, stay tuned for a future work party to get wood chips in place.

7:50 PM: One more view that we took late in the day:

And the final two photos and words of thanks are from Friends of Roxhill:

What a gorgeous day to build a playground!

We had about 75 volunteers through the course of the day taking on the huge task of putting together and installing (and putting in the concrete footings!) not just a playground… But what we think is the coolest new playground in West Seattle. With a prime all-day view of Rainier, we laughed, sighed and tried to stay hydrated while our community worked hard together. Minor mistakes were made. Tools were dropped. A few thumbs are bruised. Tomorrow, we will ache. But we did this, together. This is big. It’s more than a playground. It’s a celebration of new beginnings and a stake in the ground. It’s just the start.

Thank you, community, for your hard labor in support of our labor of love.

-Friends of Roxhill Elementary

3 Replies to "UPDATE: Volunteers build 'more than a playground' for Roxhill Elementary's new home at EC Hughes"

  • Marci June 2, 2018 (11:38 am)

    It’s shameful that Seattle Public Schools waited for parent volunteers and the community to provide one of it’s elementary schools with a playground. A playground. At a school. For children aged 5-11.  I cannot fathom how this wasn’t considered a basic component of an elementary school campus. And that it needed parent volunteers and community partners to make it happen. This should be something the school district provides for any given elementary school. Kudos to Friends of Roxhill for taking this on and making it happen. Social Justice Warriors at work! 

    • WSmom June 4, 2018 (8:36 pm)

      This isnt a district level problem but state funding. The state is underfunding our schools. I agree that no school should be at the mercy of fundraising and volunteers to get a playground.Please write your legislators and tell them what you wrote here.

  • JRR June 2, 2018 (6:33 pm)

    Go community! It was an amazing day that exceeded our expectations. More people showed up than who told us they were coming. We’re so, so, so, grateful for everyone’s time, care and attention to detail on this gorgeous day (that got downright hot out on the asphalt).

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