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 When it’s time for recess, students at W.D. Williams Elementary have a great time on their playground, but not when the slides heat up to nearly 130 degrees on sunny days. Happily, the school is receiving an $8000 grant from the American Academy of Dermatology to build a shade structure that will provide relief from both the heat and from harmful exposure to UV rays. Now that’s cool!
There's also an educational component involved with the grant. Academy member Dr. Daniel Smith of WNC Dermatological Associates sponsored the school in applying for the grant, and will also work to help educate Williams' students about sun safety, including teaching them about the unseen damage that harmful rays can cause. Only 32 grants were awarded nation-wide out of 1,048 submissions, and W.D. Williams Principal Patti Morgan is very pleased her school received one. Says Morgan, “One of the primary reasons why Williams Elementary was selected to receive the grant is the fact that our playground is really a community play area and not just a school playground. Many of our families are struggling in today’s economy, so the playground provides a free, safe place for children to get away from the harsher side of life. It’s also nice to see cultural divisions disappear as children from different backgrounds play together.” The playground itself was actually funded by a local Quality Forward grant two years ago. Since the playground structure installation, the use of the structure has often been limited during hot months May through September, to prevent children from receiving harmful burns to bare legs/arms/shoulders due to the direct sun rays falling on their skin and the playground equipment during standard 30-minute physical education daily segments.The school hopes the new shade structure will be built in time for the return of hot weather next spring. (Image provided by W.D. Williams Elementary.)
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