Terreton Elementary School kids are fundraising after their playground failed a safety inspection

Cracked slides, rusty stairs, exposed cement under 14 foot high monkey bars, these are just some of the reasons Terreton Elementary School’s playground failed a recent safety inspection. The school has to rip out the playground by the end of the school year. Rather than go without, students and parents in Terreton decided to take matters into their own hands by trying to raise the money themselves.

“I was amazed,” said Jennifer Woodward, one of the parents helping fund raise money for the new equipment. “The preschool kids brought in the biggest bag of change. We had a hard time hefting it, and we had kids bringing their piggy banks, and tell us that this is what I was saving for, but I want it to go to the playground instead.”

Businesses are getting involved, too. Mud Creek Telephone officials said they would donate $10,000 to the cause and said they would match up to another $10,000 if the kids could raise the money.

“After we heard what the Mudlake telephone was giving us, we came up with this huge plan to do a whole bunch of different things,” said Cambree, a student at the elementary school. Cambree said she and her friends have talked about putting on a bake sale, or selling goods to help raise money.

For the younger students, it’s a chance for their imaginations to go wild as to what they want in a future playground. “It can’t fit that much people on it,” said Nathan. “I want one that can fit like 50 people.”

In order to get the new playground, the school needs close to $100,000 dollars. So far they’ve raised about $50,000, but many are worried they won’t be able to raise the other half.

There are several ways to donate, said Woodward. People can go directly to a local Bank of Commerce branch and donate to a Terreton Elementary fund, or they can become a sponsor by going tohttp://www.thatsmybrick.com/terreton and buying a brick for a path as well as helping to buy a new playground.