Focus on TUSD - May 2008

Sunny Days
Holladay Intermediate Supporters Raise Funds for Sunshade
When students at Holladay Intermediate Magnet School return for classes in August, they'll have it made it in the shade.

After a school year of fund-raising and donor solicitation, on May 22, organizers presented a 25-by-40-foot sunshade structure to cover Holladay's playground. After adults snipped the yellow "Caution" tape, the children spontaneously rushed to the playground equipment, climbing ladders, hanging over rails and grinning for the cameras.

"Having the sunshade is a no-brainer," said Carla McPherson, a nurse and a parent of a Holladay third-grader. "This is something the kids really need on the playground to protect them from the sun." She also has a first-grader at Borton Primary Magnet School, which has a sun structure for the children.

Parents and staff said the unveiling capped off a year of raising about $8,500 through a Basket Walk, the Spring Fling and the Student Council's sales of Valentine Grams. Killer Shade, a company that installs shade structures, gave Holladay a $7,000 discount, and Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market kicked in $1,000 as a Gold Sponsor.

PTO President Chris Woolf said that every family in some way contributed to the shade structure, by donating materials and working at the site. Holladay has about 215 children enrolled, making it one of TUSD's smaller schools.

When the time came to install the structure, Tofel Construction brought equipment and also contributed the poles. Parents came on May 17 to help move dirt and erect the structure at the school at 1110 E. 33rd St.

"This is huge for the school," Principal Lisa Langford said. "In September, we looked around and saw we didn't have enough shade. A lot of kids took shelter in the shade of the buildings." She said a ramada installed a year ago did not provide enough space for sun-sheltered playing.

The children learned in a Sun Safe program during the year that a sunshade would protect them from the sun's harmful rays. Kim Shea presented three lessons with every grade level, teaching classes the motto, "Short shadows, seek shade." To illustrate this point, children drew their shadows with chalk on the sidewalk in the morning when their shadows were long and then again at noon, when their shadows were shorter.

A trio of students spoke about the lessons they learned at the ribbon-cutting ceremony on the playground. Sarah Tucker said that protection is important even on cloudy days. Other students talked about needing protection while they are in the water and while skiing.

Woolf presented banners signed by all the children to representatives of Wal-Mart, Killer Shade and Tofel Construction.

For the parents and staff, it was a bittersweet day, the last day of school and the last day, too, for Langford, who will be the Collier Elementary School principal next year. Holladay will share Principal Teri Melendez with Borton.

Holladay is one of 11 elementary and middle schools in the District that has earned an "Excelling" label under AZLearns, Arizona's instrument for measuring year-to-year academic progress.

-- By Sharon Dunham
Communications & Media Relations

Photos in the May issue by Jes Ruvalcaba of Communications & Media Relations, unless otherwise noted.

The deadline to submit material for the June Focus is Friday, June 13. The Focus will be published Monday, June 23. Email submissions to Chyrl Hill Lander or Sharon Dunham in the Communications & Media Relations Department or use the online Tip Sheet.