Creek Valley students lead effort for new playground equipment

LODGEPOLE – Students at Creek Valley Middle School in Lodgepole want new playground equipment, and they're willing to work for it.

A committee of 60 students – the school has an enrollment of 84 – has been meeting since September to plan fundraisers and create a wish list.

Principal Tessa Fraass said the committee was created after she held a meeting at the beginning of the school year to gauge student interest in acquiring new equipment for the playground.

"When 60 students showed up, I knew this was something important to them," she said.

The playground currently has a slide and swings. Two other features – monkey bars and a dome – are slated for removal because of safety concerns.

While Fraass, along with teachers Coleen Hodges and Jessica Cabela, offer guidance, the student committee has generated fundraising ideas and helped choose possible upgrades for the playground.

After the students identified what types of equipment they were looking for, Fraass passed that information along to a supplier.

"He has provided us some pictures and quotes, and I took that all back to the committee," she said. "And there was some sticker shock for sure."

Students were surprised to learn the cost could be around $20,000, she said.

After discussions, the committee planned three fundraisers for the year. An event held in November brought in $1,400. Upcoming, a community dinner will be held in Lodgepole this week and 5-kilometer race will be run on April 9.

The community dinner is scheduled from 5-7 p.m. on Friday at Creek Valley Middle School in Lodgepole. The chicken and noodle meal, along with a roll and dessert, will be served in the cafeteria building – the former Lodgepole Elementary School building – west of the current middle school. Free-will donations will be accepted.

Amney Peters and Misty Jackson, school district cooks, are volunteering their time to prepare the meal.

As fundraising continues, Fraass said the next step is for committee representatives to make a presentation to school district superintendent Ron Howard.

"And then after we go through the initial plan with our superintendent, they will do a presentation at the school board," she added.

The student-directed process is offering many lessons to committee members, Fraass said.

In addition to creating a sense of ownership – which the principal hopes is demonstrated through students taking care of the playground equipment and ensuring others do the same – the committee is setting goals and working as a team.

Fraass, in her second year as principal, said it's important to engage students.

"They have a voice and I think it's important they feel valued," she said.

Howard, the superintendent, said the process affords a teachable moment as the students learn how to express themselves while working together and with adults.

"I think that's what it's all about, whether in the classroom or outside," he said.

What: Community dinner

Why: Fundraiser for Creek Valley Middle School playground equipment

When: 5-7 p.m., Friday, Jan. 22

Where: Creek Valley Middle School in Lodgepole

Cost: Free-will donation