Miranda Pederson/Daily NewsDavid Baxter (left), a fifth- and sixth-grade teacher at Cumberland Trace Elementary School, holds a brace steady as Paul Justice, 16, drills it in place on Saturday at the school. Justice designed the new pre-school playhouse for his Eagle Scout project.

A need was met this weekend for the preschool program at Cumberland Trace Elementary School.

Four adults and three scouts worked to build a shelter on the preschoolers’ playground. The wooden structure was the vision of Paul Justice, a 16-year-old rising junior at Greenwood High.

&#8220It can be a multi-use shelter depending on the imagination of the preschoolers,” he said. &#8220It’ll be shade, or whatever they want it to be. It’ll be useful for the school and that’s a plus.”

Justice decided to build the structure as his Eagle Scout project. He said he started working on the project in January. He chose Cumberland Trace because he is a former student at the school.

&#8220I wanted to do something for the school,” he said.

Lowe’s Home Improvement provided 75 percent of the materials to build the shelter. Previously, there was no shade on the playground.

The structure was the missing piece to the tricycle track, which was laid June 1 by the Warren County Schools maintenance department. Before, the playground was difficult for children in wheelchairs to access, and there were limited &#8220play opportunities” there, said Don Sergent, public information officer for Warren County Schools.

&#8220It had been an unfunded dream for quite some time,” said Beth Schaeffer, a preschool teacher at the elementary school.

The preschool program is a grant program that caters to 3- and 4-year-olds with developmental disabilities or delays or children who are at risk for school failure. Part of the grant paid for the track, Schaeffer said.

&#8220But we didn’t have enough to build the shelter,” she said. &#8220I explained to him the need for it, and (Paul) was excited about it. (Paul) said he wanted to give back to a school that gave him so much.”

The track is not only fun for the students, but enhances their physical activity, said Jim Schaeffer, who was helping to put the shelter together. A lot of thought went into this, he said.

While Justice and others, like teacher David Baxter and Jim Schaeffer, built the shelter, flags were being made for it.

Incorporating colors, shapes and words, literacy was brought to the playground with the flags that had phrases like &#8220Car Wash,” &#8220Bus Stop” and &#8220Gas Station.”

&#8220Learning never stops,” Beth Schaeffer said. &#8220And they’ll remember the words because they’ll associate it with a certain color and shape.”

Drilling nails, holding wood in place, and cutting wood for the roof, Justice and others watched his drawing become reality.

&#8220It’s awesome,” Jim Schaeffer said. &#8220And bringing in the Boy Scouts makes this very special. It shows a sense of community.”