When Leslie Saulsby heard about the Our Winning Green Space contest he decided to enter, but never thought he had a chance of winning. And he still didn’t believe it when he received a phone call sharing the news that he’d won. “I’m shocked!”
Maxine O. Bush Elementary in Phoenix, Arizona, received an Exmark Lazer Z X-Series 60-inch riding mower and 30-inch walk-behind mower that will help maintain the school district’s athletic fields and grounds helping to create safer playing fields, as well as an athletic field make-over. The mower package – donated by Exmark and delivered to the school grounds by the local Horizon distributor – are commercial grade mowers that the school will keep, even beyond the renovation.
(L-R) Leslie Saulsby, principal Maxine O Bush Elementary; Scott Bills, Project EverGreen board member; Cindy Code, Project EverGreen Executive Director; Jay Erichsen, Horizon Distributors; and Jose Leal, unit maintenance manager Maxine O Bush Elementary.
Saulsby, principal at Maxine O Bush, said the school’s athletic and recreation fields were barely usable and presented a safety issue due to an aging and damaged irrigation system, drainage and seeding that resulted in uneven playing surface with that was dotted with bald spots, rocks and weeds.
As a result, the 400-student school – kindergarten through 8th grade – was unable to use the fields for recess, physical education classes or after school sports, according to Saulsby, a former athletic director.
“The meant our students have half of the athletic opportunities that other students at nearby schools,” said Saulsby. “The fields are a hinderance to having a proper PE and health curriculum as well as having a usable space for recess and activities which are essential to the individual student health and the collective spirit of our community.”
“On any given day, I have two to three dozen students playing soccer on what amounts to sand and rocks without goals. We go through ice packs and band aids at an alarming pace. The condition of our fields is a major reason we are losing students to inferior charter schools.”
Most of students attending the school walk and Saulsby wants the school campus to be a sense of pride for the community. If it’s not an asset, he says, it’s a detriment.
“New facilities look good and therefore impress. Plus, a poor looking school fuels the negative images our students have of themselves and their community,” Saulsby said. “Another area in which we struggle is school pride. It is difficult to be proud of our surroundings when our surroundings are subpar and are lesser than other schools.”
The Our Winning Green Space contest is sponsored by Project EverGreen in partnership with Exmark Manufacturing, the Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) and The Foundation for Safer Athletic Fields for Everyone (SAFE).
The field make-over will be completed in 2022 and Saulsby said the project will show that Maxine O Bush is an asset to the community.
Jimmy Simpson, Certified Sports Field Manager and STMA Board Member also views the Our Winning Green Space contest to educate the public on the importance of safe athletic fields.
“Our partnership with Project EverGreen helps parents, participating athletes and fans to understand that a well-maintained surface helps to protect athletes from injury,” adds Simpson. “Exmark’s generous mower package will greatly assist with essential ongoing maintenance to keep the surface safe.”
Previous Our Winning Green Space winners include:
- 2017 – In Memory of Community Garden and the Warrendale Community Organization, Detroit, Michigan
- 2018 – Parks & Recreation Department, Clinton, North Carolina
- 2019 – Louisa County (Va.) School District
Project EverGreen’s community-based renovation projects have revitalized more than 100 million sq. ft. of athletic and recreational greens spaces in neighborhoods and communities across the U.S.
