Cedar Bluff Elementary celebrates new turf play area
By Ken Lay
Cool temperatures on Thursday morning couldn’t temper the joy as Cedar Bluff Elementary School cut the ribbon for the new turf added to its playground area and outdoor classroom.
Cedar Bluff principal Ashley Booher, Knox County Commissioner Gina Oster, Knox County School Board member Patricia Fontenot-Ridley and representatives from Maddox Corporation and students participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“This space used to be used as an open free space that was connected to one of our playgrounds, and it was beaten-down grass,” Booher said. “Through the years, it had become very dusty, and we needed to improve the area so that it could be a safe play space for our students and an outdoor classroom.
“This will take learning beyond the walls, and it will serve these students and others for years to come. I want to thank our county commissioner, Gina Oster, and our school board member for Cedar Bluff, Pat Fontenot-Ridley, for their help with this.”
Steve Maddox of Maddox Corporation took the project right away because he was one of the students in the very first fifth-grade class at Cedar Bluff.
“This was important to me because I’m one of the members of the first fifth-grade class back when it was over there in the other building,” Maddox said. “We’re just happy to be a part of this.”
The project, which was made possible thanks to a $95,000 donation from Maddox Companies with the support of Turf of America, also held personal significance for Oster.
“My kids went to Cedar Bluff,” Oster said. “It holds a special place in my heart.”
A group of students who participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony later played a game of tag on the new turf surface.
The renovated part of the playground was officially opened on Thursday, but excitement had been building for quite some time.
“One of our kindergartners came to me and said, ‘We have a new park,’” Booher said. “This will help our students continue to learn and grow.
“Our students’ reactions, by far, have been the best part of this. It’s like Christmas morning.”
