Heather Motzny, Sampson Elementary School principal, far right, officially opened the campus’ new all-inclusive playground during a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony on Nov. 12. The playground is now the second all-inclusive playground in CFISD, joining Swenke Elementary School.

Nov. 18, 2024—Sampson Elementary School invited students, staff and the Sampson community to a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony on Nov. 12 to celebrate the installation of the campus’ new all-inclusive playground.  

The new, large playground area features a soft cushion rubberized surface, which helps prevent injuries, a “surfboard” apparatus that can hold multiple children at the same time, two wheelchair ramps and a slide that is accessible for students with limited abilities.

Swenke Elementary School fourth grade student Josh Leluika and his father, Nicholas, enjoy Sampson Elementary School’s new all-inclusive playground on Nov. 12. The Leluika family helped secure MUD district donations for both playground sets at Sampson and Swenke.

“We have students and members of our community that have special needs and we wanted to provide a space where every child could play,” said Amy Staats, Sampson PTO president. “As a parent, it warms my heart to see all our kids play together. This playground helps our community come together and it shows that we can make a difference. It’s inspiring to see the joy on the kids’ faces.”

The playground is now the second all-inclusive playground in CFISD, joining Swenke Elementary School. After seeing Swenke install its playground, Sampson wanted to follow suit.

Sampson students, PTO and the community raised more than $200,000 for the new playground. MUD districts 364 and 365 contributed $50,000 and $77,875, respectively. Additional funds were provided by Girl Scout Troops 109126 and 109093 and local businesses.

The all-inclusive playground includes a soft cushion rubberized surface, a “surfboard” apparatus that can hold multiple children at the same time, two wheelchair ramps and a slide that is accessible for students with limited abilities.

“I’ve worked in this community for more than 16 years and this playground is now a place where everyone in the community can gather, play, meet their neighbors, you name it,” said Heather Motzny, Sampson principal. “This is an amazing opportunity for everyone to come together. There is something for everyone in this new playground. Our Sampson PTO is phenomenal and were all on-board when I came to them with the idea of installing an all-inclusive playground. They partnered with me and now we have an amazing asset for our community.”

Sampson plans to add additional all-inclusive playground equipment as more funds are raised.