Recess at Wellington’s Binks Forest Elementary School will soon offer students lots of additional activities thanks to a new, $100,000 “dream” playground paid for by its PTA during the 2018-19 school year.
The school’s second annual Fun Run, held during the last two weeks of February, raised nearly $40,000 for the new playground and capped a phenomenal year of fundraising.
As a fun reward, the top pledging class got to tape Principal Michella Levy to a wall.
The new playground’s price tag is estimated to cost between $80,000 and $100,000, all of which will be paid for by money raised this academic year.
A large grassy field requiring costly sod and re-seeding to be laid on a recurring basis will be transformed into an outdoor oasis for the school’s 966 students. The handicapped-accessible playground will include a permanent kickball field, an agility course and a fitness track where students can run, walk or stop and play at one of its fitness stations.
Students and teachers can enjoy a break from South Florida’s blistering heat in a much-needed shaded area. The new outdoor space aligns with Binks’ ongoing effort to promote health and wellness among its student body. The school’s two existing playgrounds will remain intact.
Binks Forest’s all-volunteer PTA strives to create an enriching elementary school experience for every child. In addition to the Fun Run, the PTA raised funds through its adults-only Party with a Purpose, the school carnival, a family costume dance during Halloween, as well as its Phantom Fundraiser. The school purchased in-class Chromebooks with the money raised during the 2017-18 school year.
