Students at an Oakland elementary school will be playing on a new playground when they return to school thanks to NBA star Steph Curry and his wife, Ayesha.
The Curry family along with their foundation, Eat. Learn. Play., Oakland Unified School District, CarMax Foundation, and KABOOM! teamed up to remodel the outdoor quad at Franklin Elementary School on Saturday. The initiative was originally announced last year.
“We’ve said this time and time again, but every child deserves a safe place to play and learn and just be a child,” Ayesha Curry said Saturday at the opening.
The remodeled play space is equipped with a new playground, a multi-sport basketball court and a garden. Brightly colored motivational murals adorn the area.
On Saturday, volunteers, along with Curry’s daughters Ryan and Riley, helped plant flowers in the school’s new garden and painted murals designed by San Francisco artist DJ Agana. The inauguration of the new space was commemorated with a ribbon cutting.
In November, when the initiative was announced to children at the school, Steph Curry said in a video that he was eager to hear from children about what they wanted in the new schoolyard, so it was designed specifically with them in mind. . .
“This has been a challenging year for our students and teachers, but they have been resilient as they navigate a new way of learning and teaching virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Lusa Lai, principal of Franklin Elementary School, in a statement. press release in November. “We look forward to meeting again and welcoming you with a new play space, multi-sports court and garden for all to enjoy.”