KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Before attending a national education conference in Central Florida, school leaders volunteered their time to give Flora Ridge Elementary School a new playground and campus improvements that students will enjoy when they return in August.

More than 100 principals and assistant principals from across the country traded conference rooms for construction tools, working side by side to transform Flora Ridge Elementary School in Kissimmee.

“We feel great. We’re very excited for this opportunity,” said Randa Nicholson, principal of Flora Ridge Elementary School.

Nicholson said the project is more than a campus makeover.

She said the school needed a new playground, and the partnership is giving students something they have been waiting for.

“The school is about 17, 18 years old. So that equipment came with the school. So, you can imagine the state that it was in kind of faded, you know, paint chipped those kinds of stuff,” said Nicholson.

The volunteer project marks the official kickoff to the National Association of Elementary School Principals’ National School Leaders Conference.

Organizers say it gives school leaders an opportunity to leave a positive impact on the community before the conference begins.

“It makes me so proud that there are people that want to do this and that are taking a Sunday when they could be at the parks doing other things, but they’re here because they want to be here,” said April Knight, president of the National Association of Elementary School Principals.

When students return to Flora Ridge Elementary in August, they will find a new playground, bulletin boards and a refreshed campus, all thanks to the work of school leaders from across the nation.

“It’s going to be an amazing place for kids and families, and it’s just important that we are here.” said Knight.

The National Association of Elementary School Principals’ National School Leaders Conference runs July 13-15 at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando. The conference brings together school leaders from across the country to discuss the future of education.