School is a finalist for $10,000 playground grant
By Ashley Palumbo
Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 6:53 p.m.
Read more: Local, Ontonagon Play Day, Playground Grant, Kaboom Competition
ONTONAGON -- Ontonagon has had more than its fair share of bad news over the past year, but local kids still have a reason to play.
Earlier this fall, close to a hundred children and parents participated in a day of play and community improvement, earning the elementary school a chance to win a $10,000 grant for a new playground.
Just watch these kids at recess and you’d know why they deserve to win. They love letting loose on the soccer field, slipping down the slide, and swinging fast and high.
"It’s important because we need some exercise, we get more energy and we can just have fun,” said fourth grader Cleo Allen.
The students have a great time on the playground at their current elementary school, but next year they'll be moving into the high school building to save money. Right now the only place to play there is a paved parking lot with a few old basketball hoops.
So when school counselor and parent Kirsten Menigoz heard about the Kaboom "Play Day 2009” competition this September, she threw together a community event in only a matter of days.
"Although we're in trouble, people do come out. We will make it through this, and the play day showed that people will come out, raining, within a week's notice and just help to get it done," said Menigoz.
Baltimore Ravens full-back Le'Ron McClain picked Ontonagon as one of five finalists from more than 1,000 applicants.
Their play day video is now posted on the Kaboom Web site where the public is asked to vote for their favorite. The top two vote getters will earn a $10,000 grant to improve their playground.
"We really need this $10,000 grant,” said third grader Henry Menigoz. “We probably need more, but it will help."
"Please vote because we need a new playground and we really, really want it," Allen said.
The students are doing their part, but they're facing some stiff competition with other groups coming from much larger communities. If they want to win, they're going to need everyone in the U.P. to go online and vote.
Voting lasts until December 1 and you can vote once every 24 hours.
