EDMOND, Okla – When temperatures started reaching the one hundred degree mark this summer, the new playground at Scissortail Elementary School in Edmond laid bare to the scorching elements. There was no shade and no place to sit until new metal picnic tables arrived. Plans were to nurture a new educational garden but the only way to water it was for students to use their own water bottles. Relief has now arrived – thanks to a grant funded by Rotary District 5750 and monies provided by Edmond Rotary Club and Foundation.
“Here sat a beautiful, new school but the places to take a break and learn needed shelter from the sun, additional seating and water for the garden. Autumn was fast approaching. We knew it would still be very hot at the beginning of the school year. We needed to take action,” said Chris Berry, president of Rotary Club of Edmond.
The situation became even clearer when Rotary volunteers were helping with seeds and supplies for the garden. They determined that carting water in bottles was not an efficient option. Looking around, they could only imagine kids and educational staff having to sit on the hot ground, or not use the playground area at all because of no shelter from the heat.
“We spoke with the school principal who pointed out the obvious and we decided a solution would be to pursue a Rotary grant,” said Beth Case, past president, who spurred the effort.
The grant and local club funds provide about seven-thousand dollars for grounds improvements, including umbrellas for outdoor picnic tables, two benches, a portable irrigation system for the garden, two water stations, and a special “Buddy Bench.” The Buddy Bench is a place for students to sit if they don’t have anyone to play with. When a child sits there, other students are encouraged to be his or her buddy to promote a sense of belonging, a core value of the school, which emphasizes building connections where all are welcomed, accepted and safe.
The community project also aligned with Rotary’s motto, “Service Above Self” and a recent club campaign to do acts of kindness.
Scissortail Elementary opened in the Fall of 2022 and serves children through the fifth grade. It houses administration, a media center, cafeteria and a beautiful gym. This year when students arrived to school, they found a much more comfortable playground that matched the efforts made on the inside. And instead of the water bottles, garden caregivers are now able to use a portable water tank on wheels to provide moisture.
The improvements were also planned for the benefit of the school’s neighbors, embracing the school’s creed of welcoming others to their community.

Rotary Club of Edmond president, Chris Berry and a student check out the new metal bench at Edmond’s Scissortail Elementary School. The bench provides much needed seating on the school’s grounds and the portable irrigation system allows for more efficient watering of an educational garden.

Leaders of Edmond Rotary club and principal of Scissortail Elementary School show off new seating and irrigation systems that provide water for a new campus garden and seating for a once-barren space. Pictured, l to r, Beth Case, Past President, Edmond Rotary Club; Jamila Crawford, Principal, Scissortail Elementary School; Chris Berry, President, Rotary Club of Edmond.

Edmond’s Scissortail Elementary School principal, Jamia Crawford and Rotary Club of Edmond’s president, Chris Berry, show off a new Buddy Bench on the school’s playground. The Buddy Bench is a place for students to sit if they don’t have anyone to play with. When a child sits there, other students are encouraged to be his or her buddy to promote a sense of belonging

Edmond’s Scissortail Elementary principal, Jamila Crawford and Rotary Club of Edmond’s president, Chris Berry work with a student to show off a new bench for seating on the school’s updated playground.