The Thomas Carroll Elementary School is nestled in the east end of Peabody.  Built in 1914, the Carroll School is a significant part of the city’s history.  Peabody was the first community in Massachusetts to establish a class for immigrants to receive instruction on becoming United States citizens.  Some of these early “Americanization” classes were held at the Carroll School.  The school was rebuilt in 2003 and is truly a bright and cheerful learning environment with state-of-the-art-facilities . 
However, there is one key element missing from this beautiful school property.  When the new school was built, the existing playground was demolished and was not replaced. In fact, there is not a playground in all of Ward 3.  This area of Peabody is very close to the downtown and the houses are built closely together with little or no yards.   There is a definite and drastic need for a safe and accessible place for children to play.  The east end of Peabody is a diverse community which is one of the qualities that makes its residents most proud.  There are approximately 215 students or 38% of the school population whose first language is not English. This playground project would promote unity and a sense of community pride.  It would encourage community involvement and stress working together for a common goal.  The community would become unified while becoming more attractive.  The Carroll School is a Title 1 school which means that it is in a low income area.  Almost half of the approximately 567 students that attend the Carroll School qualify for free or reduced lunch.  Many of the residents do not have the transportation to take their children to a park across town.  Others do not have the financial resources to pay the fees required to play organized sports.  A local playground would give all of the children an opportunity to play safely in their neighborhood and make new friends. In addition, the Carroll School houses several programs for learning disabled children.  Recent studies have shown that play helps develop social skills, increases self-esteem and promotes school achievement.  Special needs students can get discouraged by the academic demands of school.  An outdoor play space allows them to feel successful and on par with their peers in some aspect of the school day.  Moreover, unstructured play is critical to the overall development of all children. Over the past year, Peabody has been embroiled in a reduced recess controversy.  Outdoor recess time was reduced to ten minutes.  The children need time to blow off steam and would benefit from open space and equipment to use during recess time or after school and on weekends. 

The Carroll School Playground Committee is a group of dedicated individuals that are ready to work hard to reach their goal of a playground. 
The Carroll School Playground Project has been endorsed by many city officials.  Rico Mello, the Ward 3 Councilor, attended our first meeting.  We have met with Mayor Michael Bonfanti and the Director of Parks, Richard Walker.  These politicians are in support of the Playground Committee’s efforts.