The track is about a tenth of a mile long and the total cost was about $10,000.
RELATED: Safety top priority as students return to class
“At the end of the year, depending on how much money we have, we try to give the principals something they want that they can’t get any other way,” PTO member Amy McMahan said. “This year one of the principals needed some new playground equipment and mulch and another wanted a bench and (New Carlisle Elementary School Principal) Katherine Randenburg, along with the gym teacher, wanted a walking track for the school.”
The new track is an asset to the school, Randenburg said.
“We are very excited that we can get our kids active,” she said. “Our physical education teacher does many things outside and to have that track as something outside is amazing for our students.”
READ MORE: Shawnee, Tecumseh change drug polices after newspaper investigation
The elementary school is in a neighborhood and kids often use the playground after school and on weekends, they said. McMahan said the PTO thought it would be a good project to complete, but was worried about financing.
“We had a really good fundraising year last year and we had a pretty good amount of money in the bank so we did what we could to make it happen,” she said.
But the PTO still needed some help. McMahan reached out to her father, Jerry McMahan, who owns McMahan’s Mobile Homes.
“We went to him and he always has been a big supporter of the schools and doing all kinds of things,” Amy McMahan said. “Now all of his grand kids are there so that’s what we kind of did. We made it happen.”
MORE: Cottrel: New Carlisle organization does amazing work for families
The track turned out much better than what Randenburg thought it would be, she said.
“We were thinking maybe a mulch track or a gravel track,” she said. “But we do have a population here with disabilities and we wanted something that would be accessible to them, too.”
The elementary PTO had a good year last year, Amy McMahan said, and they hope to continue the momentum this year.
“We do a lot of things for the kids and the teachers, that is what we are here for,” Amy McMahan said. “We give out mini-grants to any of the teachers who want something for their classroom or a project. Sometimes we just need some equipment. We try to make that happen for all the teachers.”
About the Author