Play On! Igo School Celebrates Grand Opening of New Playground

It has been open since the start of school but it wasn’t until now that the Igo Elementary School had a chance to celebrate their new playground.

Recognizing everyone involved in the creation of the new community playground, the Igo School brought together 400 students to say thanks during the official grand opening and dedication ceremony.

“There is not another playground like this in the world,” principal Mike Stanton told students during the ceremony.

For Patriots owner Robert Kraft, the ceremony was a welcomed distraction after the team’s defeat to the Chiefs the previous night, as Kraft joked during the ceremony.

“Unfortunately we didn’t do well last night but coming here and seeing your smiles and hearing your cheers reminds me of what’s really important,” he said.

In May, it was announced that the school received a NFL Play60 grant worth $30,000 for the new playground. In addition, Kraft and the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation added an additional $30,000 during the initial announcement during a Play60 event in May.

The playground was not the only contribution from the Patriots owner. The high school chorus will also receive new audio equipment as announced at the May event. According to superintendent Debra Spinelli, Kraft was given three different levels of support to choose from for the equipment. In what Spinelli called, “typical Kraft fashion,” Kraft chose the highest level of support to fully fund the chorus’ new audio equipment.

“I think we all have examples of your thoughtful generosity and after your last visit we have an example of your spontaneous generosity,” Spinelli said to Kraft. “We are so fortunate to live in a town with so many people working together. To see where it was before and where it is now is tremendous.”

In addition to the new playground, Igo School principal Mike Stanton received a gift from the school’s students. As a token of their appreciation, Stanton was presented with a Patriots #1 jersey.

Despite the rain, Kraft along with six-year-old Danny Nickerson, officially opened the playground with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Nickerson, who is fighting cancer, made headlines earlier this year after asking for and receiving thousands of birthday cards for his birthday,

In addition to being the new recess spot at the Igo School, the playground is open to the community for use outside of school hours.

Photo: Patriots owner Robert Kraft takes part in the ribbon cutting ceremony along with Danny Nickerson.