BATON ROUGE – Three members of the LSU track and field program took time out of their training schedule this weekend to join other University representatives and members of the community in building a much needed playground at Sharon Hills Elementary School in Baton Rouge.
Seniors Kyle Rose and Lauren Saucier and junior Brandon Gordon joined biological engineering students from LSU, as well as teachers and administrators from Sharon Hills Elementary School in constructing an impressive new playground on campus from 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
After developing the playground design concepts in the design class Biological Engineering 1252 in 2009 during the spring semester, Sharon Hills Elementary School wrote a successful grant to KaBOOM to fund the majority of the project in building the newly-established playground.
Matching funds for the project were also provided by Sharon Hills Elementary School, Aramark and LSU Community Playground Project. This was the 21st playground constructed in affiliation with the LSUCPP.
“It was very touching to see more than 200 community members out to help build this playground,” Rose said. “I think it’s great that we not only built a playground, but also a garden and lunch tables for them.”
“I especially enjoyed this project because not only were we able to build something new for the students, but we are also promoting a healthy lifestyle that includes physical activity,” Saucier said. “Working with the parents and other members of the school community was very fun and rewarding for us.”