A kid’s case for keeping LES open

Dear Editor,

I feel very strongly about keeping the Lewisboro Elementary School (LES) playground open to our community.

My family and I just moved to South Salem last year and we love our new neighborhood. I have enjoyed my first year in the Katonah Lewisboro School District as a fifth-grader at Increase Miller Elementary School. The LES playground is a special place to me because at my old home in Hartsdale I didn’t have access to a cool playground that I could walk to by myself, with my neighbors or my sister. The playground is right down the road from my house so my little sister and my neighbors and I love biking down to play. We carry walkie-talkies in case we need to talk to our parents.

Another reason I think LES should stay open is because it’s an important spot for community sports. My neighbors and I like playing soccer and basketball on the field and court. I know that my neighbor’s soccer team practices there. I also know that there are other programs that use the field and gym for lacrosse and other community activities. My little sister went to camp there last summer and she went to two daddy/daughter dances this year, which she loved!

Now that New York requires us to have a universal pre-k, I think we should have it at LES. One reason we should have it at LES is because it would be a convenient spot for everyone. It’s right in the middle of our community. It would be so sad to see the building sitting there empty and all fenced up.

Thank you for reading my letter and letting me share a kid’s perspective about this shared space all of us kids love to use.

-Liviana Lishnoff, rising sixth-grader at John Jay Middle School