Sat Nov 07 2009
Nearly 100 volunteers from across the state spent Saturday painting and cleaning Second Street School as part of the Kentucky Education Association Outreach to Teach program.
Members of the KEA student and retiree programs joined other KEA employees, local teachers and administrators and community volunteers in the cleanup.
The volunteers cleaned, painted walls and playground equipment and did landscaping work around the school for the makeover.
"You can see the difference that it makes in the school," said Murray State student Shanna Mills. "If the school is a better place for the students to learn then they're going to learn more."
The National Education Association has been doing similar school makeovers for 15 years, but this is the third year KEA has done the project in Kentucky.
In 2006, the group made over Nichols Elementary School in Bullitt County and last year they worked on a school library in Newport.
KEA Student Program President Mallory Farquhar said the project helps the school and provides an opportunity for students to interact with peers from different universities.
"It's just a great time for everybody to come together and meet other people from other schools as well as help out a local community," Farquhar said.
"This is really hitting home because this is our community, KEA headquarters is right down the street."
Farquhar said she wasn't surprised by the number of volunteers because teachers like to help.
"We just have a heart for kids. Knowing the impact that this makes on them in their everyday life is enough to get us out on a Saturday," she said.
KEA President Sharon Oxendine said she wanted to help SSS after visiting last year.
"I did a Read Across America (event) here last year and it disturbed me that this building was in the condition it was in and you have kids coming here every day," Oxendine said. "It's an old building and there's limited custodial staff and they just don't have the time and the resources to do everything."
The cleanup will give the students more pride in their school, Oxendine said.
"When you give your kids a welcoming environment to come into and it's not old and ugly and dirty, they feel a whole lot better about coming here and it's going to make them more successful."
FIS Superintendent Rich Crowe agreed that the cleanup will boost morale.
"I think it adds to an already positive learning environment," Crowe said. "I guarantee there will be people that come in Monday and they will notice."
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