Photo by Peter Linenthal.Toshia Holloway (standing) , daughter La’sha-nea Smith (seated), son Jasiah Tambunting (left) and cousin Geontay (right) worked on Webster’s new garden. June 2009Renaissance at Daniel Webster Elementary SchoolBy Peter LinenthalIt’s impossible to ignore the renaissance that’s flowering at Daniel Webster Elementary School, located at Missouri and 20th streets. Last year a bright new paint job appeared, accompanied by a mural. Street trees were planted, followed by a garden along Missouri. Most recently, another garden has suddenly sprouted along the school’s south wall. It all started in 2005. Facing a budget crisis, the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) identified schools that could be either closed or merged due to declining enrollment or low test scores. Daniel Webster was on that list. At the same time, long-time Hill resident and former mayor Art Agnos asked neighbor Jennifer Betti what would keep young parents like her in the neighborhood. “Good schools!” she answered. The prospect of losing a neighborhood school, coupled with the possibility of making it better, energized a group of Hill parents. Building off of the Potrero Hill Parent Association email listserv, a new group was formed: PREfund, the Potrero Resident’s Education Fund. PREfund persuaded the school board to keep the campus open by presenting a list of specific improvements they would make: transforming bungalows located in the school yard into a preschool; adding a Spanish immersion program to the kindergarten to fifth grade options; and spearheading a much needed facility make-over. The trees were funded by PREfund and planted by Friends of the Urban Forest. PREfund raised almost $500,000 to renovate the bungalows to accommodate Potrero Kids at Daniel Webster Preschool or PKDW, a licensed preschool, which was built with the help of Jackson Liles Architecture, Azul Works Construction Company, and Rebuild Together San Francisco (RTSF), among others. RTSF, which was launched after the 1989 quake with the goal of working with other organizations to help rebuild San Francisco, partnered with 150 volunteers from Ernst and Young, Charles Schwab and Dreamworks, to paint the school and mural, clean out years of junk, and build the garden. Concrete recycled from paving that was broken up to make way for the garden has been dubbed “urbanite” and is being used for garden’s low retaining walls. The efforts have paid off, with enrollment at Daniel Webster increasing. As PREfund puts it, “Our neighborhood gem is no longer hidden!” According to the school’s principal, Moraima Machado, “The changes are fantastic; the students and staff are happier. When you see an environment that looks nice it means there are people who care. All schools should have that. The support of communities can help make it happen.” For more about the school’s transformation check-out, www.prefund.org. For information on the K-5 Spanish immersion program, check out www.dwspanish.blogspot.com. |
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