OBSERVER photo by Andrew David Kuczkowski A bequest from Evelyn Falk allowed North Collins Elementary to open a new playground.

NORTH COLLINS — North Collins Elementary School had its ribbon cutting ceremony at the beginning of the school year for its new playground. The new playground cost around $80,000, which was donated to the school from multiple organizations, with a large sum from Evelyn Falk.

Falk was a former North Collins one-room school house teacher. After her passing, she left money to local schools in her will. With the assistance of Falk’s donation, Fox Construction Inc., Nature’s Pride Landscaping LLC, Gui’s Lumber and the town and village of North Collins put in monetary and physical assistance to construct the playground.

“I was made aware by the district that we were a part of this foundation giving and we hadn’t really talked specially about the whole donation, we were just asked about projects,” North Collins Elementary Principal John Cataldo said. “And one of the first things I thought of … specific to children was the playground that we had up here for a number of years that was really in need of replacement.”

The former playground was similar to the ones found at town parks. When it came to what the new playground should consist of, North Collins went in-house and created a committee of teachers, including the physical education teachers.

They decided to have a uniform fitness area that tests all factors of the body. It ranges from upper to lower body as well as climbing.

“I think that’s different than what was there, you know, a swing, a side and a couple of climbing bars,” the principal added. “It’s the old-fashioned playground. These were what we put on playgrounds. Where now the playgrounds are by design to help child development.”

And the result was well received. Anything new could be seen as amazing and intriguing in children’s eyes. The excitement was unmatched once the children had the opportunity to play with the new equipment.

“(We have) a couple of videos where you actually see their faces when they are going down the slide or trying new things,” Cataldo said. “It’s hard to describe specifically in words, but when you see their little 4-year-old faces playing on this playground …”

The one thing that should not be forgotten is generosity from Falk. Even after her 40 years of teaching students, she still found a way to continue to help.

“I think part of that is what we do in our field is about giving,” Cataldo said. “And you try and give as much as you can and for someone to be in a position to give even after they are gone is amazing to me. … It’s not about being recognized or being named after you, it’s about being able to give more to the next group of children.”

Email: Akuczkowski@observertoday.com

Twitter: @Kuczkowski95