WE Play to Learn!

From Wilkesboro Elementary School

We must replace our 26-year old playground. Your donation will help build a new playground AND inspire a new generation of children with the power of PLAY! If you believe in PLAY, please donate today!

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Recent Updates

Update #3

over 2 years ago

The new playground has been under construction all summer. Our students spent the three weeks of the year watching as a team of installers brought our Big Toy playground to life. They watched as the ground was prepared, the foundations were dug and laid, the towers were erected, the slides put in place, and the mulch was blown in. Our fifth graders even calculated the volume of recycled wood fibers it would take to fill the space.

It's been a long time coming, but our new Big Toy playground will be ready for play on Monday, September 20.

It was with the generous support of many, many donors and believers that Wilkesboro Elementary School was able to fund this momentous event. Thank you to the children who asked parents, family, friends, neighbors, and businesses to help bring our special play space to life. We couldn't have done it without your hard work and determination!

We would like to share a special thank you to the Stone Family Foundation. Your seed gift with 2019 Wishing Well grant helped us dream big. Our playground team did its research, our students chose the equipment, and through your generous matching support, we are able to make this wish a reality.

We also are indebted to many other generous grants and gifts including those by the groups listed below.

Stone Family Foundation
The Health Foundation, Inc.
Kulynych Family Foundation II, Inc. (in honor of Mr. Thomas Edgar (Ed) Story, III and Mr. T.E. Story
Leonard G. Herring Family Foundation
The Spears Family
WindowWorld

In addition, we are thankful to families who provided funding for specific parts of our playground.

Climb in memory of Hunter Brown.
Slide in honor of Kilby Quinn Handy.
Spin in honor of Lucy and Sophia McBride.
Swing in loving memory of Reese Huskey.

We'd also like to recognize many donations were made in honor and memory of special people in our students' lives. We have these noted on signage at the playground, but you can see those names here as well. Thank you to our families for recognizing these beloved people.

Great things are accomplished by many smaller things brought together, and we appreciate and share our gratitude to everyone who contributed to this project. We've compiled a list of our generous donors and send grateful and heartfelt appreciation to you all. We've tried to be as inclusive as possible with this list, and if we've omitted your donation, please let us know at [email protected] and we will update the list.

We'd also like to thank Chris Yang and his team for Carolina Parks and Play for helping bring this dream to life. We have been working with them since March 2020 to design and construct this playground.

We will kick of this playground with a bang! All students will enjoy the playground beginning Monday, September 10. We look forward to hosting a community playground dedication in October where our donors, families, and community members can come together in the name of PLAY!

Thank you for your role in bringing this dream to life! Thank you for supporting children and encouraging a safe place that will help them learn and grow. Thank you for believing in public education and for supporting our public school. We are enormously grateful to you.

Now, it is time for us to PLAY!

More Info

When asked about the best part of any school day, children always say “Play time!”   Play is an essential ingredient to a healthy childhood, and it is on the playground where children are most mentally active, engaged, and socially connected!  

In 1995, Wilkesboro Elementary installed the Big Toy playground.  It has provided joy and learning opportunities for around 10,000 students.  It is well-loved and has lived a good life.  

But 26 years of wear and tear have left the Big Toy in rough shape.  Structural timbers are rotting, decks are no longer level, screws are exposed, and entire components have been removed.  Caution tape blocks off unsafe areas, and we work constantly to keep it safe enough for play.

We plan to replace the Big Toy with a safe, engaging and inclusive playground that will inspire, challenge, and promote the health, well-being, and discovery of all children.  This playground will be used by ALL students in our school and will be sensory-rich with multiple levels of challenge.  Our students helped pick what they want in a new playground, and we’ve worked with a NC company to design a safe playground that will be inspire children for another 25  years!

Fortunately, we received a generous donation from the Stone Family Foundation to launch our playground fundraising efforts.  The Stone Family Foundation will match funds that our school can raise toward installing a new playground this year!  You can help by making a tax-deductible donation today to the Wilkesboro Elementary Playground Fund! 

If we exceed our goal, we will work to add solid surfacing for the playground or include additional components.

If we don't meet our full goal, we will implement the playground in phases by beginning with the main play structure.

Your donation will build a playground that will get this generation of children moving, engaging, and connecting with each other in daily hands-on play.  Your donation will teach them to explore, move, test boundaries, grow confidence, and boost their mental and physical health.  

If you want to donate to benefit a current student, please put the student's name in the COMMENTS section of your donation.

If you believe in PLAY, please donate today!   

To make a gift in honor or memory of a student, teacher, or friend, please use the MESSAGE field on the donation page.  

For more details on how to donate, please contact Principal Beckie Spears at Wilkesboro Elementary School at 336-838-4261.

Please share this page today!

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Wilkesboro Elementary School posted a new update:
over 2 years ago

Update #3

The new playground has been under construction all summer. Our students spent the three weeks of the year watching as a team of installers brought our Big Toy playground to life. They watched as the ground was prepared, the foundations were dug and laid, the towers were erected, the slides put in place, and the mulch was blown in. Our fifth graders even calculated the volume of recycled wood fibers it would take to fill the space.

It's been a long time coming, but our new Big Toy playground will be ready for play on Monday, September 20.

It was with the generous support of many, many donors and believers that Wilkesboro Elementary School was able to fund this momentous event. Thank you to the children who asked parents, family, friends, neighbors, and businesses to help bring our special play space to life. We couldn't have done it without your hard work and determination!

We would like to share a special thank you to the Stone Family Foundation. Your seed gift with 2019 Wishing Well grant helped us dream big. Our playground team did its research, our students chose the equipment, and through your generous matching support, we are able to make this wish a reality.

We also are indebted to many other generous grants and gifts including those by the groups listed below.

Stone Family Foundation
The Health Foundation, Inc.
Kulynych Family Foundation II, Inc. (in honor of Mr. Thomas Edgar (Ed) Story, III and Mr. T.E. Story
Leonard G. Herring Family Foundation
The Spears Family
WindowWorld

In addition, we are thankful to families who provided funding for specific parts of our playground.

Climb in memory of Hunter Brown.
Slide in honor of Kilby Quinn Handy.
Spin in honor of Lucy and Sophia McBride.
Swing in loving memory of Reese Huskey.

We'd also like to recognize many donations were made in honor and memory of special people in our students' lives. We have these noted on signage at the playground, but you can see those names here as well. Thank you to our families for recognizing these beloved people.

Great things are accomplished by many smaller things brought together, and we appreciate and share our gratitude to everyone who contributed to this project. We've compiled a list of our generous donors and send grateful and heartfelt appreciation to you all. We've tried to be as inclusive as possible with this list, and if we've omitted your donation, please let us know at [email protected] and we will update the list.

We'd also like to thank Chris Yang and his team for Carolina Parks and Play for helping bring this dream to life. We have been working with them since March 2020 to design and construct this playground.

We will kick of this playground with a bang! All students will enjoy the playground beginning Monday, September 10. We look forward to hosting a community playground dedication in October where our donors, families, and community members can come together in the name of PLAY!

Thank you for your role in bringing this dream to life! Thank you for supporting children and encouraging a safe place that will help them learn and grow. Thank you for believing in public education and for supporting our public school. We are enormously grateful to you.

Now, it is time for us to PLAY!

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Wilkesboro Elementary School posted a new update:
almost 3 years ago

Update #2

A HUGE thank you to all who have donated! to Wilkesboro Elementary! Thanks to your generous donation to our WE Play to Learn! campaign, we've raised 15% toward our goal! Our fundraising efforts are going strong, but you can still help by sharing this page and letting others know about our need and ways to help. Thank you for supporting our school and for believing in the power of PLAY! Stay tuned!

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Wilkesboro Elementary School posted a new update:
almost 3 years ago

Update #1

WE are excited that we've raised $2,000 toward building our new playground! Thanks to the early support of family, friends, and kind people, we are off to a great start in our first five days. Please continue to spread the word about the power of PLAY - thank you so much for continuing to support us and SHARE our mission TO PLAY TO LEARN!

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