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Educators from across the country are in town for the National Education Association's Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly this week. Hundreds of them met up at Dawes Elementary School to pitch in as part of this year’s “Outreach to Teach (O2T)” program. Over 300 NEA students and retired members joined Dawes School parents, teachers,and along with members of the District 65 Buildings & Grounds team to build, paint, landscape, and spruce up the school.
Dawes School was the recipient of this year’s Outreach to Teach grant from the NEA, made possible thanks to an application submitted by the President of the District Educators’ Council, Ms. Jean Luft. In addition to the more than $80,000 in materials awarded, over 300 volunteers spent the day working at the school.
"We are so pleased and excited about the changes made in our learning environment as a result of this project," said Dawes Elementary Principal Karen Bradley. "We've been able to accomplish some of the things that have been on our 'to do' list for a while. The inside and outside of the building look a lot brighter; our students will be surprised and pleased when they return for the new school year. I'd like to thank NEA and all its Outreach to Teach volunteers for making a significant investment in the students of Dawes."
One could only truly grasp the magnitude of this project by arriving at 7:30 am to witness the sea of black tee-shirts, smiling faces and willing hands. The school’s gymnasium was transformed into stations where teachers lined up to get their assignments. They picked up materials to redesign bulletin boards, paints and brushes for bookshelves or murals, and wheelbarrows, rakes, shovels, brooms, clippers, and, of course, the tennis balls that were to be placed on classroom chair legs to protect the floors.
Volunteers completed hundreds of improvement projects over the course of the day. They replaced 50 countertops and over 100 cabinet doors, cleaned and assembled cabinet handles, assembled over 40 pieces of furniture, spruced up the school library, painted murals in the hallway and redesigned classroom and hallway bulletin boards. They modernized the staff lounge, and landscaped the school's garden by installing six raised gardening beds and planting more than 75 flowers, trees, and shrubbery around the school.
Over and over again, Dawes Principal Karen Bradley was commended for how well organized the event was. One participant said this was his fourth O2T event and "the best organized event of all.". Another commented that she had her student teachers taking notes for how to prepare for a smaller scale event in their hometown. And, of course, the weather was picture perfect making the outdoor projects very popular.
Outreach to Teach celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. Chicago cake designer and recent contestant on Food Network Challenge Awesome 80's Cakes, Mark Lie, helped make the 15th anniversary celebration special. Lie designed, baked, assembled, and presented a special cake to the school and volunteers in honor of the milestone anniversary and successful completion of the Dawes project.
"This is my fourth Outreach to Teach," said NEA Student Program Chairperson Tommie Leaders. "As an NEA student member, I love participating in these events and helping to make a difference in the very schools our members will teach in one day. Our student members really believe in this."
"Students need all of us - working together - to give them better opportunities. It starts with a clean and safe place for students to go to school," said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel. "That's why we're proud of NEA's Outreach to Teach. It goes to the heart of what being a good teacher is all about-working with people to build something new and exciting."
To view more photos from this event, visit Triblocal.com/evanston http://t.co/8PDDqN7
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