Member-only story
We Turned a Devastating School Closure Into an Empowering Celebration
Never underestimate a small group of committed citizens
When my oldest child crossed the finish line at her school’s 35th annual Wildcat holiday race, she and everyone else running down the track or cheering on the field had no idea she would be the last girl to bring home that First Place Trophy. Next winter, her schoolmates will no longer race each other in this beloved holiday tradition because their school, by then, will cease to exist.
Three days after the race, our school community was blindsided by the superintendent of schools’ unilateral decision, with no prior attempt to communicate or engage with us, let alone seek our input, to shut down our children’s educational home at the end of the school year.
A group of us parents physically reeled from the sting of a figurative slap to the face.
Every school district has its own version of the Wildcat: the under-served, under-invested, under-performing Title I school that is home to the largest number of disadvantaged scholars. It is often a community anchor that welcomes all, regardless of the complexity of a child’s academic or behavioral needs, despite the water damages, HVAC malfunctions, lead pipes, missing tiles, and rodent troubles the building suffers.
