This summer, children who visit Ackerman Playground can meet Barty the Dragon. If they're brave enough, they can even take a trip through his gaping jaws, past his menacing fangs, down the slide.

Barty is just one of the fairy-tale paintings that decorate Ackerman Playground, thanks to five teenage interns from Masconomet High School, who recently spent five weeks repainting the playground.

Children now play among detailed, brightly colored barnyard animals, knights surrounded with royal crests and flags and a "secret garden" section teeming with hand-painted butterflies, vines, trees and flowers.

"They did an amazing job. The playground comes alive the moment you walk up the ramp, the colors are so vivid. The farm animals have taken on cute little personalities with their fresh coats of paint," said Meredith Shaw, a member of the Friends of Ackerman Playground. "We are very grateful to this talented group of students for their commitment and hard work. It's wonderful when opportunities like this arise to link generations of young people and community together."

Artistic students Carly Millen, Gillian Fitzgerald, Christina Simonetti, Brittany Tambeau and Elizabeth Scannell, who all graduated from Masconomet this year, completed the Ackerman painting project as a senior internship.

Ackerman is a popular spot for Boxford children, who love to explore the sandbox, tire swing and wooden castle complete with bridges and obstacles to climb.

Built in 1999, the Robert M. Ackerman playground is Boxford's only public playground not attached to a school or church. It is in Boy Scout Park on Cahoon Road, in Boxford's East Village.

The playground's artwork, originally created by Masconomet students in 1999, had become faded and worn. The five-week effort was overseen by Masconomet Art Teacher Julie Colotti and Lila Haynes, a member of the Friends of Ackerman Playground, a volunteer group charged with maintenance and upkeep of the grounds.

The process began with a professional powerwashing of the wooden playground and surrounding fence. Next, Boxford resident Paul Chalifour stained and sealed the entire play space.

The five Masco seniors started their internship on April 28, and had their work cut out for them. All the wooden cutouts, such as the barnyard animals and other figures, had to be removed from the structure, sanded, primed and painted.

The students solicited donations of paint and other supplies from local hardware stores.

The biggest challenge of the project was Barty the Dragon, according to the students. They scraped away all Barty's old paint, applied a coat of primer, and spent hours repainting the dragon — from his fangs and claws to half-moon shaped scales in alternating colors.

Scannell focused on the playground's "secret garden" section, and painstakingly repainted each butterfly, flower and leaf, giving the refreshed space a magical feel.

"Even with the time crunch caused by unseasonably cold and rainy weather, we were able to remove the old paint, prime and repaint everything we originally set out to restore. Our biggest challenge was to use our imaginations to re-create nearly every aspect of the park, while still maintaining its whimsical fantasy theme," the students wrote in their final portfolio. "We are proud of what we have accomplished and hope our work has made the park a special place the community will enjoy for years to come."

Nine years ago, Ackerman playground was built with donated money; the town provided the land. The Friends of Ackerman Playground is steward of the playground's trust, which contains money left over and set aside for maintenance.

Lila Haynes, Friends of Ackerman Playground member, said the interns' repainting project was appreciated and one of many needed restoration projects the group has planned for Ackerman.

To get involved with future projects, contact Lila Haynes at lilahaynes@comcast.net.