Trafford Elementary School trying to raise money for new playground

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Two days before the start of the school year, students at Trafford Elementary don't have a playground for recess. The old one was determined to be unsafe so parents and staff are working together to raise money for a new one.  

There's not much left of the playground at Trafford Elementary School -- just a few swings and one climbing apparatus. The rest of the 20-year-old rusty equipment had to be torn down this summer after district maintenance deemed it a safety hazard.

When teachers and parents got wind last year that the playground's lifespan was almost up, they immediately started the process of obtaining grant money.

When that didn't come to fruition, the PTO held numerous fundraisers to help defray the cost of a new play area. All in all, they have raised $100,000 but still have a long way to go and say they won't stop until they reach their goal of $250,000.

"Kids learn in different ways and kinesthetic learning is an important part of it. Research shows they need that release of stress and if kids are bottled up all day, you're not going to get that much out of them at the end of the day," said third grade teacher Mick Bujdos. 

"We're trying to get community sponsorships, we'll have signage recognizing the sponsors and anything we can just to try to get any funds we can to help support the project," said PTO president Melissa Daykon. 

The new playground will consist of more swings and slides and there will be a play area for smaller children too. The biggest improvement will be the rubberized ground cover instead of mulch.