New Head Start playground opened

By Melinda L. Lucas

A new playground for the youngest students at Nancy Smith Elementary School was unveiled last week, with parents of this year’s Head Start class invited to a special opening party.

The three and four year olds got to play on the new equipment, which includes a four-piece slide with a rock climbing wall, for the first time on Oct. 20.

Also added to the playground was a stationary play fire truck and a new swing set.  A sidewalk now extends from the covered pavilion to the gate. The rest of the ground is covered in a soft rubber mulch.

The playground is located in a protected area between the two original south wings of the NSES facility. It has been closed for installation of the equipment since early September.

The old equipment had been in place since 1999 and needed to be replaced due to deterioraton, said local Head Start instructor Nickie Leveridge.

Only Head Start and Pre-K students are allowed to use the playground, which was funded by a Head Start fund, according to Leveridge.