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School Foundation Funds Playground Upgrades at Essex Elementary

There are loads of opportunities for kids to play outside during school break, but with two new pieces of playground equipment at Essex Elementary School (EES) installed courtesy of the Essex Elementary School Foundation (EESF), kids may want to visit this summer.

“We are fortunate to have our two new pieces of playground equipment,” said EES Principal Jennifer Tousignant. “Thanks to the generosity of the EESF, we added parallel bars and chin up bars to complement our intermediate playground.”

Tousignant explained that recently EES 4th and 6th grade state-mandated physical fitness scores have been lower than desired in the area of upper body strength. The two new pieces of equipment installed by Creative Recreation LLC include a set of parallel bars that will target shoulders, triceps, upper back and forearms, as well as a chin up bar.

“In an effort to provide our students with additional opportunities to increase their upper body strength, [EESF] agreed to fund the equipment [that] will be available and used daily during recess time and incorporated into our physical education classes,” said Tousignant.

While the pieces of equipment are designed to be used during the school year, they have been installed and children are urged to go test them out. EESF said the equipment is “ready for some action” and that the organization would love to see photos of the new equipment in use shared on its Facebook page.