Students from Pathways to College in Hesperia get a chance to wander around the empty lot which will become their new playground. The K-8 school recently received a $15,000 grant for the project.
HESPERIA — Students and staff at a local K-8 charter school are excited after they discovered that their school was awarded a $15,000 construction grant that will be used to build a new playground.
First-year Principal Sonya Joyner at Pathways to College, said the Dr Pepper Snapple Group and national nonprofit KaBOOM awarded her school the "Let's Play Community Construction Grant" for the Third Avenue campus in Hesperia.
"After years of having inadequate playground facilities, we are so excited for this opportunity to provide our students with a brand new, state of the art playground," said Joyner, who gives leadership to nearly two dozen teachers and additional instructional aides. "It was exciting to receive the news about the grant and I know that our students will love the playground once it's installed."
Led by the beverage company, the grant is part of a community partnership to get kids and families active across the nation. The 333 students at the Hesperia school are a portion of some 1 million kids who will benefit from new or improved playgrounds around the country between 2014 and 2016.
Joyner said the school, which was launched in 2003, has not been able to provide its students with the amenities that a regular school district can typically afford. She also said in the school's quest to provide a facility that will benefit the whole child, the grant will serve underprivileged students and community events.
"You really need to have a heart for children at Pathways to College," Joyner said. "Our personnel goes over and above what it takes to make sure that our children are successful and that our families are supported. We take many students that are disruptive or score low academically and we do what ever it takes to get them on that right path. It takes teachers that are patient and persistent, and that's what we have here."
According to Joyner, one of her school's many alumni-superstars is Miles Magnesi who received his master's degree in December. Joyner said every child has the potential to succeed and her school's goal is to help every student get on the road to success.
Magnesi attended University of California, Redlands for his undergraduate degree with a major in creative writing and a minor in Russian. He received his bachelor of arts degree in 2012 and continued his education at California State University, Long Beach where he obtained his master's in English, according to a school report.
Joyner also said one of her goals is to connect a high school to Pathways where students will be helped on through graduation.
Originally from the Los Angeles area, Joyner spent 19 years in Central Texas before moving back to California and eventually to the High Desert. Joyner, who's been in education for 27 years, said after her youngest son graduated from college and husband retired from the military, the option to move to back to California became open.
"I've always wanted to come back to California," Joyner said. "I don't miss the brutal heat in Texas where summer days can reach 100 degrees and it doesn't cool off at night. It's nice to be back in California."
Pathways to College is located at 9144 Third Avenue. For more information, call 760- 949-8002 or visit www.pathwaysk8.com.