At Roanoke Avenue Elementary School, recess recently got a reset.
The school’s Parent-Teacher Organization has purchased two new soccer goals for students, replacing the aging single goal that had been in use for years and helping turn one of the most popular recess activities into a real game again. The PTO also launched a “recess restock” effort, collecting new outdoor and indoor recess supplies for students — soccer balls, basketballs, jump ropes, board games, puzzles, card games, Legos, chalk and other play equipment.
For Roanoke PTO President Karma Marshall, the project was about more than new balls and goals. It was about making sure students have the kind of school day children remember — time to run, play, create, compete, laugh with friends and simply be kids.
“We wanted to revamp it,” Marshall said in a phone interview Monday. “We wanted to get new stuff for the students.”
The need was visible. Some of the outdoor play equipment had been used for years. Pieces had gone missing. Soccer balls were worn down. Students were even bringing their own soccer balls from home because the school’s existing ones were no longer in good condition, the PTO president said.
“A lot of them play soccer outside during recess,” Marshall said.
The two new soccer goals cost about $1,500 combined. To help pay for them, the PTO held a pasta fundraiser that raised almost $750. The rest came from PTO funds.
For the PTO, that is exactly the point: the organization raises money from families and the community, then puts it back into the school in ways students can see and feel. On Friday morning, every fourth-graders at Roanoke got a chance to see and feel the results during recess. The kids had a blast, Marshall said.
“We help purchase stuff for the kids, but also we look for help from the community and from the parents,” Marshall said. “The funds will go down. It won’t go up unless we get help.”
The effort comes at a school where many families are already stretched. Roanoke, like the Riverhead district as a whole, serves a diverse student population, including children from low-income families and some who are homeless. The school district must spread its resources across its four K-4 elementary schools— Aquebogue, Roanoke, Phillips and Riley — the Pulaski Street Intermediate School, the middle school and the high school, leaving parent organizations to help fill in gaps that directly affect the student experience. Most schools have active PTOs engaged in the same kinds of activities as the Roanoke PTO, Marshall said.
Source: RiverheadLOCAL
