BY KARISSA MILLER

Lakeshore Elementary students led a ribbon-cutting ceremony, along with Principal Chris Grace, for the school’s new playground equipment on Friday morning.

Beta Club members Kennedy Johnson and Ezra Nelson welcomed faculty, students, parents and distinguished guests at the ceremony.

“Last year our friend Lilian Johnson and her nonprofit Everyone Counts in Iredell County decided to help us fund our much-needed new playground,” Kennedy explained.

“Not only do we have a new playground, but we have new basketball hoops and turf,” she added.

She thanked Lilian Johnson and Lowe’s Home Improvement in Mooresville for partnering on the project and raising the money needed to build the playground.

“We promise to put our new playground to use every day,” Ezra said.

Principal Grace introduced student essay contest winners Harper McDonald and Payton Force, who wrote about why the playground was needed.

“I’m so grateful we have our new playground because we don’t have to play out in the field. We can play so many more games and have more fun with friends,” Harper said.

Payton thanked everyone involved for donating the money to build the new playground.

“The new playground has so much to do. You can’t get bored because there are monkey bars, slides, climbing walls and more,” Payton said.

Moments after the ribbon was cut and the paper broken, kindergarten students swarmed the playground, which features a shade tarp, tandem slides, a climbing wall and other fun features.

Debra Sahley, an instructional facilitator, said that it was a much-anticipated and needed project.

“They were playing with rocks and dirt like we used to when we were kids. So they’re excited about this,” she said.

Fundraising Efforts

Everyone Counts in Iredell County held its third annual Kentucky Derby Luncheon at The Saddle Club at 1791. The event raised around $40,000.

Lowe’s Home Improvement in Mooresville agreed to match the proceeds, bringing the total for the project to more than $80,850.

Representatives from Lowe’s included District Manager Richard Moss, Mooresville Store Manager Corey Calloway and Community Relations Team member Marcel Solomon.

“Some of the coolest memories all of us have are from the playground or basketball court. You want it to be a fun experience and want them to come to school …This helps complete the education experience for the kids,” Moss said.

Lllian Johnson said she founded Everyone Counts in Iredell County a few years ago because of the disparities among schools in Iredell County. During a previous project, she raised money for classroom equipment for Third Creek Elementary School.

“I wanted to cry — happy tears when I saw the kids playing on the playground,” she said.

Lakeshore is a STEM school of distinction, which is the highest STEM education recognition in North Carolina.

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