"They give us a bag with all sorts of materials like soccer balls, jump ropes, frisbees, we all play around," said student Yohhani Monzon. "But now that we hear that we're getting a playground, we're like even more excited."
"A bunch of kids were wondering why other schools had a big playground and why Tonti didn't and they kind of got involved and said can we do something about it?," said Stacy Gibson, First grade teacher.
"We did stuff like jean day, movie night where we sold popcorn, candy, nachos," said Gloria Melecio, parent.
But as their fundraising thermometer shows, they still had a long way to go.
"It's like an accomplishment for us because we've been working really hard for this and for KaBoom! and Disney to tell us that we're finally going to get a playground, we're just really happy because we've been waiting for it for a long time," said 4th grade student Eduard Nunez.
Recently students got to submit their ideas for a dream playground to Kaboom! - a national non-profit that builds playgrounds in underserved areas - and to Disney.
The final design will be built with the help of more than 200 volunteers.
"I want the playground to be not just for our students but for the children who live in the area for them to come and have a safe place to play," said Tonti Elementary School Principal Gerardo Arriaga.
To volunteer, call or email: 773-535-9280 or garriaga@tontischool.org
