Knox Education Foundation celebrates the success of the Playspace Fund with a ribbon cutting at Belle Morris Elementary School.

Knox Education Foundation (KEF) held a ribbon cutting Thursday, August 22nd, to celebrate Belle Morris Elementary School’s new play spaces, funded by the KEF Playspace Fund.

The event at Belle Morris Elementary School on Washington Pike marked the realization of the initial support from the Playspace Fund initiative, during which more than $2 million has been raised and pledged to date to support the renovation of 11 playgrounds at seven schools.

“We are excited to celebrate this achievement, made possible by the support and generosity of the community,” said Mike Taylor, CEO of Knox Education Foundation. “Our goal is to work as champions for public education, help extend district resources and help all students have access to play spaces that make instruction more successful.”

The Playspace Fund was launched by KEF in 2023 as a public-private partnership to create a standard for playgrounds across the district. Knox Education Foundation worked with Knox County Schools to evaluate such factors as school size and student population, ADA needs and available playground space.

All seven schools started the 2024-25 school year with new play spaces: Belle Morris, Fair Garden Early Learning Center, Knoxville Adaptive Education Center, Sarah Moore Greene Magnet Academy and Fountain City, Spring Hill and West Haven elementary schools. These schools were identified as the highest need in the district and designated for support from the Playspace Fund.

Additional ribbon cutting ceremonies for these schools will take place during the month of September. To learn more about the Playspace Fund and the generous donors who made the initiative a success, visit knoxed.org/play/.