MASON CITY – Students have a new reason to love recess this year as school resumes at Lincoln Intermediate. New fitness playground equipment is now available to the students, providing an excellent opportunity to be active and play during and beyond the school day.
The new playground layout at Lincoln Intermediate is the result of student visions, resembling a ninja warrior style fitness course, appropriate for older children. The obstacle style-course challenges students to have fun and work their entire body for a healthy dose of competition and cardiovascular training. This is the first playground at Lincoln Intermediate, which has served 5th and 6th grade students since 2011. “The fitness equipment has been a great addition to the learning environment at Lincoln Intermediate,” reports Kelli Gerdes with the Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health. “Physical activity is key to healthy growth and development both physically and academically.”
In addition, a smaller fitness course was installed at nearby Roosevelt Elementary for use during recess and Physical Education classes. “The new fitness playground equipment provides students at Roosevelt an opportunity to challenge themselves physically and enjoy a fun new way to exercise,” states Dan Arjes, Principal at Roosevelt Elementary. “We are thankful for our wonderful community that supported the playground project and helped make this dream a reality!”
Funding for the new equipment was kick-started by a MATCH grant from The Wellmark Foundation. A KABOOM! Let’s Play playground grant, funded by Keurig Dr. Pepper, also helped establish the fundraising campaign. From there, community contributions flowed in to help fund the two new fitness courses at the Lincoln Intermediate and Roosevelt Elementary school campuses within the Mason City Community School District.
School maintenance staff and AB Creative, Inc out of Grimes, Iowa worked to prep and construct the equipment and courses in May. The Mason City Community School District will be hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the playgrounds on September 23 at 1:30pm at Lincoln Intermediate, with the students from both schools being on hand to showcase their playgrounds and thank community donors.
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