Sawnee Elementary Principal Derrick Hershey, left, and artist Andy Burt, owner of The Wall Nut, show off some of the designs created at the school.
‘Just keep it simple’
Community-funded project brings fun back to recess for Sawnee Elementary students Story and photos by Sabrina Kerns
T
he kids at Sawnee Elementary School, much like kids across the county, could not help but feel a little disappointed when they found out their classes would have to be separated for recess this year. Each class started to go to their own designated spots that they would switch out of each week. A class bubble near the monkey bars, a class near the basketball hoops, and so on. So kids started to dread spending a week in the most boring spot for recess — the bus lanes. “Our kids told us,‘We hate this area. We can only do so much sidewalk chalk, and we need other stuff to be able to play.’ So they didn’t want to go to recess,” said Sawnee Principal Derrick Hershey. “Then … our amazing [Parent Teacher Organization] said, ‘Well, let’s think about how we can make this a little more engaging.’” So one Monday afternoon, the kids ran outside for 14 | 400 LIFE | December 2020