Eva Turner Elementary School dedicates new playground

Eva Turner Elementary School held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, June 8, to formally dedicate new playground equipment and a blacktop mural installed earlier this school year.

The ceremony included a strings performance from fifth graders Riana Everette-Scott and Tia Watkins, and student representatives from pre-kindergarten through grade 5 read essays aloud about the new playground and what it meant to the students.

The $75,000 cost of the equipment was provided by the Qualified Zone Academy Bond (QZAB) Program, made available through the Maryland Interagency Committee on School Construction. School eligibility requires that 35 percent of a school's population be enrolled in free or reduced-price meals (FARMS) programs.

Additionally, the grant requires proof of established business and community partnerships that aid to enhancing educational programs within the school. The program also matched half of the playground costs with volunteer hours, which provided more than $17,000 of the total costs based on 1,440 volunteer hours.

Turner, along with its parent volunteers, partnered with Verizon's Pioneer Volunteer Program in painting a map of the United States outside on the playground's blacktop area. The playground also features a rubber mat-like surface that helps prevent serious injuries, and is accessible for students with physical disabilities.

Representatives from the school, the Board of Education, Charles County Public Schools and the Pioneer Volunteer Program were presented with letters of thanks from Turner students and participated in the ribbon cutting.