PARK VIEW, Iowa — Students at Neil Armstrong Elementary School have a new playground to look forward to playing on soon.
Volunteers from the North Scott School District spent all day Saturday, April 23 building the new playground.
"No promises if it's going to be ready by Monday, we got a lot of work to do yet," said Principal Tim Green. "It's all hands on deck to make this happen for our kids."
Around 80 people signed up to help build this weekend.
"That's the great thing about North Scott," Green said. "They're always willing to help out and do what's best for our kids and do what's right for our community."
The playground was donated by the Kennedy's Kisses Foundation before it was discontinued. The plans for it have been in the works for around a year and a half, Green said, but got delayed because of pandemic-related supply chain disruptions.
"Kennedy's Kisses was from a child that died here, years ago," he said. "The money that was raised in her name was to help families to support their needs, whatever it might be. And at which point, they're discontinuing, and they just want her name to continue. And that's why we're able to have this and put this together for kids to continue to play (in honor of) her memory."
The playset has been sitting in a warehouse since December, just waiting to be put together. Green said the students are very excited about it, especially because the dirt patch where it's being installed was dug last fall.
"The dirt area has been set," he said. "The kids have been super excited. We've been telling them that this is going to happen. And now we finally get to say, yes, they're going to drill the holes, and it's going to be assembled over the weekend."
Neil Armstrong already has two different playgrounds, so this new one will give students a third option to use.
Volunteers will continue putting it together on Sunday from 9-5.
Neil Armstrong has a student population of 384, according to Green.