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., the Oakland Unified School District, The CarMax Foundation and KABOOM! teamed up to remodel Franklin Elementary School’s outdoor school yard 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 kid,” Ayesha Curry said on Saturday at the unveiling.
The remodeled play space is equipped with a new playground, multi-sport basketball court and a garden. Brightly colored motivational murals adorn the area.
On Saturday, volunteers, along with the Curry’s daughters, Ryan and Riley, helped plant flowers in the school’s new garden and paint murals that were designed by San Francisco artist DJ Agana. The unveiling of the new space was commemorated with a ribbon cutting.
In November, when the initiative was announced to the children at the school, Steph Curry said in a video he was looking forward to hearing from the kids about what they wanted in the new school yard, so that it is 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,” Lusa Lai, principal of Franklin Elementary School, said in a press release in November. “We are looking forward to coming together again, and welcoming them back with a new playspace, multi-sport court and garden for all to enjoy.”