MUD districts help Copeland ES receive new playground equipment
Members of the Copeland Elementary School staff and MUD district representatives pose for a photo in front of Copeland’s new large playground equipment after a ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug. 17. Pictured from left, are Russ Appleget and Jose Nava, MUD 264 representatives; Laurie Alexander, incoming Copeland PTO president; Stacy Cranford, Copeland assistant principal; Stefanie Berger, Copeland principal; Lilly Fanning, Copeland assistant principal; and David Tinny, MUD 173 representative.
Aug. 28, 2023—Copeland Elementary School staff invited Copeland families and representatives from four MUD districts that serve the school community to a “Picnic on the Playground” on Aug. 17 to celebrate the installation of a new piece of playground equipment and publicly thank those who helped purchase the piece.
During the 2022-2023 school year, a part of Copeland’s large playground equipment fell, was deemed unsafe for students to use and was torn down. Stefanie Berger, Copeland principal, along with Laurie Alexander, incoming Copeland PTO president, saw an immediate need to purchase a new, large piece of playground equipment in time for the next school year, but knew help would be required to meet that need.
Four MUD districts that serve the Copeland Elementary School community, along with funds from the Copeland PTO, helped buy the new piece of playground equipment, which will allow 60-80 students to play on at once. The piece includes three slides, multiple climbing features and a small monkey bar section.
“We actively participate in two fundraisers a year to help meet the needs of the school,” Alexander said. “For a piece of playground equipment this large, we knew it would take anywhere from three to five years for us as a school community to raise enough money, so we decided to reach out for help to come up with the additional funds that would be needed.”
Berger, along with Alexander and other members of the Copeland PTO, put together a presentation to share with the four MUD districts that serve the school community. The presentation explained how necessary a piece of equipment like this is, which allows anywhere from 60-80 students to play on it at once.
The following amounts were donated by the four MUD districts:
- MUD 264: $15,000;
- MUD 70: $12,768;
- MUD 156: $15,000; and
- MUD 173: $24,000.
A Copeland Elementary School student slides down one of the three slides featured on the school’s new large piece of playground equipment during “Picnic on the Playground” on Aug. 17.
In addition to buying the new piece of equipment, Copeland was able to purchase a shade canopy that will be installed over the playground piece in October.
“We’re so thankful for the support from our Copeland families, our PTO and the four MUD districts for their generous donations,” Berger said. “This piece of playground equipment, along with the shade canopy, will ensure that our students have a safe and fun space to play on during recess for years to come.”