Fraternity to replace playground

While reading, writing and arithmetic are meant to educate children, a school's playground is where they build their imaginations. At Carl Sandburg Elementary School, 5325 W. 3900 South, a rusty, 39-year-old set of monkey bars has yet to tempt the students' young minds.

Built in 1966, the playground has been there as long as the school's foundation. The LDS fraternity Sigma Gamma Chi at the University of Utah decided to donate money to help build a playground the children could enjoy.

"We could've donated to the Red Cross or hurricane victims, but we wanted to do something more local," said inter-chapter vice president Bryson Duncan.

The fraternity chose this as its service project when one of the school's sixth-grade teachers, Sara Vanlent, mentioned to her brother, a Sigma Gamma Chi member, the condition it was in.

After three years of teaching at the school, Vanlent hasn't seen the children use it much. She has also heard them complain about how the playground isn't exciting.

"I think they will absolutely love a new playground," Vanlent said. "Recess is their time to use their imagination and it's a release for them."

The goal was to raise $10,000 for the playground. Since November the fraternity has been able to raise $9,000. Inter-chapter council president, Spencer Thompson, said $6,000 came from change donated by students from the university. The rest came from businesses and chapter advisers.

School principal Andy Forsyth said the school doesn't receive federal dollars because it isn't a Title I school. Because of this, any money the school gets is through fund-raising and donations.

Forsyth said he is anxious to put in the new playground. The school had been wanting to do it for years but never had the funds for it.

Forsyth described the playground as obsolete. There's nothing to play on and a lot of times the children will sit and mosey around during recess.

"The playground will give them (kids) an area that they can get the activity they need and not get into mischief," he said. "It will give them a place to run off their energy and their anger."

Items on the playground consist of four swings, monkey bars, climbing dome, balance beams and a chain-link climber. A couple of pieces of the equipment have become hazardous to the kids and are not approved by the Association of Disabilities Act.

Forsyth said a few years ago a plastic climbing structure with a slide was put in. Even with this slight upgrade it still hasn't been able to entertain and allow all 200 kids who play on the playground to get full use out of it.

Sigma Gamma Chi members have made service one of their core values. Thompson said there are many people who don't have much and get overlooked.

"Putting in a playground will provide them with a sense of home," Thompson said. "It will make their lives somewhat happier."

With more than 500 members and 10 chapters, Duncan said a playground where the kids can have fun is the least they can do to give back to the community.

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