Gordon Parks Elementary School in the Volker neighborhood is trying to win a grant for a new playground.
The school is one of ten finalists in a national school video contest funded by Dr. Pepper and KaBoom. The top five schools with the most votes for their video will win $20,000 worth of playground equipment.
Voting started last week and continues through June 28. To vote, you must have a Facebook account, and you must first Like the page.
Gordon Parks is K-3 charter school that educates children from low-income families. The schools has over 140 children in the school and 98 percent of them qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, which means that Gordon Parks has one of the highest poverty rates in the Kansas City public school district.
According to the school, Gordon Parks currently does not have a playground; just 150 x 300 foot square tarmac with a running track drawn on it. It is not fully fenced so almost anyone can walk onto the playground. The school has received funding for a new fence but teachers and administrators feel that a playground could help the children interact with each other and give them a sense of ownership and pride in their school and garner more support.
Gordon Parks also plans to go to private corporations, business, and individuals to help raise funds for their playground.
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