News | Article from Redlands Daily Facts

Students design dream playground

By David James Heiss, Staff Writer

(February 2, 2007) - If children designed the world, it could be a lot more fun.  A group of 6- to 11-year-old architects planned out the ingredients for a perfect playground at Franklin Elementary School Wednesday.

They included some of the things one might expect in a playground, like swings, slides and tether ball poles.

First-grader Daniel Galiviz was one of the ambitious ones.  His design included a roller coaster and a Mario Bros. go-kart.

If fifth-grader Richard Anderson's design could come to fruition, it would include components such as elevators for the tower that would overlook the rest of the playground; the tower's exits would include a slide and a firefighter's pole.

"If we could tap into their energy, we'd all benefit," said one of the special guests at Franklin School Wednesday: Julie C. Rodriguez of Glendale, granddaughter of César Chávez, and programs director for the César E. Chávez Foundation.

The activity is being sponsored by a consortium of organizations responding to a grant application from Franklin School, including Hands On Inland Empire, a program of the United Way which has an office in Redlands, and California Volunteers, a branch of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office in Sacramento.

"It's more than just a playground," said Adam Sloey, associate project manager for Washington, D.C.-based Kaboom!, a national nonprofit that coordinates community development of safe playgrounds for kids.

Sloey was referring to the fact that the playground was being designed with a special curriculum in mind: to honor the legacy of César Chávez, the late labor activist and former president of the United Farm Workers.

The playground will be built solely by volunteers on March 31, César Chávez' birthday at Franklin School.

"This is actively remembering his values and carrying his messages forward," said Rodriguez.

Wednesday afternoon, 30 randomly selected students, "representing a cross-section of the school's population" according to principal Rhonda Bruce, and a group consisting of mostly parents of those students at the meeting, met to learn more about César Chávez's core values, and to design a playground in his honor.

It will be one of 10 playgrounds being built on César Chávez Day in California. The $75,000 grant from California Volunteers will be used to purchase playground equipment from Kaboom!'s "partner in play," Lewisburg, Penn.-based Playworld Systems, Inc. Murals depicting Chavez and other local heroes will be painted, and a community garden will be installed.

"Each of you can be a hero, just like César Chávez," Rodriguez said.

"I spent a lot of time with my grandfather. He was a funny man. He told me a lot of stories about when he was a farm worker. He also told me when I was a young child to make sure farm workers - and people everywhere - are to be treated with respect.

"A hero," she said, "is someone you respect, but also one who respects others."

"It's being built so you can have fun, but it's more than just a playground," Sloey said. "We're honoring the legacy of César Chávez. Part of your job is to tell your friends about the good things he did."

After students presented their playground ideas, they were escorted to another room to hear Rodriguez talk about Chavez's legacy. Parents remained behind to break into committees and to vote on elements that their kids had suggested - and that Playworld Systems, Inc. could supply. Some of the components favored included bouldering walls, walk-through tubes, bridges, tether ball facilities and seesaws.

"The kids have a lot of good ideas," said Jesse Session, a parent who was at the meeting with his 3-month-old daughter Aniya. Session has three children at Franklin School: daughters Zari, a fifth-grader, and Annique, a first-grader; and son Jaiquan, a third-grader. "It's good to get their input. It gets them involved and gives them a voice."

According to Jamie Dent, director of Cesar E. Chavez Service Programs for Oakland-based Youth Service California, the 10 elementary schools that were selected for the playgrounds serve low-income neighborhoods. In addition, several Title I, or low-income-serving, middle schools received grants and César Chávez's core values-related curricula that include involving classrooms to participate in a community project. A yet-to-be named Riverside middle school will visit Franklin School to assist with the playground project.

Hands On Inland Empire is in charge of raising 10 percent in matching funds for the grant, or $7,500 for March 31, and is actively recruiting at least 300 volunteers (no playground-building experience needed) to help build the project.

"We're trying to build a generation of people who understand the value of service and working together to build their community," said Larry Deckel, program manager for Hands On Inland Empire. "People who participate in change become the change. Once you get into that habit, the core values becomes yours as well."

To learn more or to volunteer, contact Hands On Inland Empire at (909) 980-2857, ext. 208, or go to their Web site, www.handsoninlandempire.org.

E-mail Staff Writer David James Heiss at dheiss@redlandsdailyfacts.com.

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