Students at Primitivo Garcia Elementary School got their first look today at their new baseball and softball field — Kansas City Public Schools’ very first one.
The Kansas City Royals Foundation and local business Palacana funded the elementary school’s new field, located in Kansas City’s Westside neighborhood.
Fifth-grader Kingston Jackson said the field is more than just a place to play.
“It shows how much people care about us, our school, our neighborhood and our future,” Jackson said. “I cannot wait to learn new skills, have fun with my friends and maybe even dream about being a Kansas City Royal one day.”
Jackson and other students celebrated the new field by running through some drills with coaches from the Kansas City Royals Urban Youth Academy and snacking on paletas from Palacana.
Without their own field, KCPS students have had to use one of the youth academy’s fields in 18th and Vine to play baseball or softball.
Royals owner John Sherman said he was surprised that KCPS didn’t yet have a field — but it made him think about how athletics tie into education.
“Physical and mental health is better when we're active,” Sherman said. “While every child deserves access to a quality education, they also deserve access to a quality facility and a safe place to play.”
The Royals Foundation’s Royalty Fields program, presented by Price Chopper, helped build the field, which is part of an effort to improve baseball and softball facilities across the Midwest.
Jose Luis Valdez, the owner of Palacana, said his business saw the project as an opportunity to give back to the community and support its young people.
“It's about providing them with equality, opportunity to play and grow,” Valdez said. “They are our future, and this is how we support their development.
Superintendent Jennifer Collier said the new field shows that community partners see the progress KCPS has made and the value of its work serving students — and are willing to make an investment in it.
“As a community, we have to care enough about our children to make sure that those opportunities are provided in their schools, because sometimes that's the only place it will be provided,” Collier said. “But what it will mean for their futures is immeasurable.”
