The students at Superior Central Elementary School have been waiting a long time for a new playground. The main play structures of our previous playground were a wooden tower and rope swings that were built in 1990. After 34 years of play, these structures needed to be replaced. After a two year fundraising campaign we installed a large portion of our playground in the summer of 2025. We are incredibly grateful to the businesses and community members that helped us raise the initial $155,000 for phase 1 of our project. We are working on the final fundraising to finish our design!

In designing our new playground, we focused on safety, variety of play, and inclusion. For safety, our construction tech class removed five outdated wooden structures that were no longer up to playground safety code. To meet the need for a variety of play options, we added elements that allow our students to run, swing, jump, climb, slide, and spin. Finally, we wanted this to be an inclusive playground for our students. We focused on low transfer points and a variety of options for our students with mobility issues. We also included different tactile and spinning options for our students with high needs for sensory input.

The final piece of our playground features a low transfer point staircase and a slide perfect for our younger students. We are also including two new climbing structures to challenge our kids. We are well on our way to funding our final piece with $11,000 raised. To complete the playground we have designed, we need an additional $45,000 for equipment, installation, and ground coverings.

Suggestions for donations:

If you would rather donate by check, donations can be mailed to the school at: PO Box 148, Eben Jct., MI 49825 with Playground Fund in the memo or subject line.