TOP PHOTO:  New playground taking shape at Valley View Elementary.

LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF) – Valley View Elementary School is in the process of having a new playground installed. The playground is designed for children kindergarten through fifth grade.   The $60,000 project is being done in conjunction with the school’s Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) and funded through the school’s general fund and multiple fundraisers.

According to school principal Jason Dotson, the school’s playground situation was in “bad shape”. “We had been trying for several years to upgrade our playground,” said Dotson, who has been the principal at Valley View for seven years. “The need for a playground upgrade was evident and something we put a lot of planning into,” Dotson said. He also said the project could not have happened without the efforts of the leadership team, the school board and the parent teacher organization.

“Jeffrey Miller, Lisa Fields, Jamie Ball and many others were integral in the project coming together,” Dotson said. The PTO raised funds at ball games and other events to help fund the upgrade. “We’re very excited about it, especially the kids,” Dotson said. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 06/02/2020-6AM)