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Published on 05/05/1997 All articles from this issue

Community rallies in support of Springer elementary school

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Town Crier Staff Report

Springer school facilities have taken on a new life, thanks to more than 200 volunteers providing an estimated $100,000 in repair work to the Los Altos School District campus last month.

The volunteers, working on a Christmas In April Midpeninsula project, replaced more than 150 school windows, refinished bookshelves, performed landscaping and repainted all the buildings, among other duties. The work was performed on three consecutive Saturdays in April, with the finishing touches applied April 26.

"There have been times when I literally knocked on doors to get parents and community to become interested in the education of their children," said Springer principal Bob Celeste. "There has never been a time in my 28 years of teaching and administering that I have witnessed the level of commitment, enthusiasm, and downright desire to support a school as the Christmas in April project. If you did not see it, you missed the event of a lifetime. The children of Springer elementary school are fortunate to have such a caring community behind them."

The massive repair project on the 40-year-old campus, located at 1120 Rose Ave., in Mountain View, was prompted by the Springer school site council. The council noted facilities issues were the number one concern among teachers and parents when asked about areas for improvement. Last November, the school submitted an application to Christmas in April Midpeninsula, a nonprofit building renovation group. In January, Christmas in April Midpeninsula officials selected Springer out of 135 applicants to be one of the 15 community building and 45 home projects on this year's schedule.

Contributing volunteers represented El Camino Hospital, Hewlett-Packard Company and the Los Altos Kiwanis Club along with Springer parents.

The upgrades included:

153 clouded and scratched plastic windows, replaced with earthquake safety glass.

The entire school was repainted, using 250 gallons of paint. Work included exterior walls, doors, poles, gutters and drains.

A new sink and disposal in the staff room and 58 feet of book shelves for two kindergarten classrooms.

A 10-foot storage shed for play equipment.

Two redwood benches built in front of the school to provide a place for children to sit while waiting to be picked up.

A 20-by-200-foot area of overgrown junipers was landscaped. Trees were pruned.

13 library bookshelves were refinished.

Kindergarten "kitchen" furniture was painted.

Several classrooms received built-in cabinets, paper shelves and cork board panels.

The parking lot area was painted, defining the crosswalk and the curb lines.

600 feet of deteriorating double rail fencing was removed for safety.

Basketball backboards were repainted.

Hooks installed outside each classroom for hanging bulletin boards.

There is still work in progress, including the replacement of two multipurpose room doors, building several hundred feet of tanbark boxes on the playground, and asphalt work for a sand box area that floods when it rains.

Cammie Hanley, chairperson for the Springer Site Council, noted several professional tradesmen volunteered their time to work at the school.

Volunteers included Rob Nichols, Walt Murphin and Firenze Bezsne of Chay & Harris Painting; Richard Dodds of the city of Palo Alto; Ed Dodd; and Bob Davidson of California Paint and Wallpaper teamed up to lead the paint crews. Davidson, along with his wife Lynn, were named this year's Community Service Award winners last Thursday from the PenWest Board of Realtors' Los Altos branch.

Jeff Gusman of National Glass in Mountain View led the window team. Scott Marshall of Marshall Construction built bookshelves. Pat Cavanaugh built a foundation for a storage shed. Dave Roos of Adobe Animal Hospital recruited three of his family members to join in the project.

Several local businesses also donated materials for the Springer project and food for the volunteers.

Springer parent Tim Hanley was a site captain on this project, along with Dave Fecher. Both have been house captains for Christmas in April projects in previous years. Volunteer coordinators included Judy Steele of Los Altos Kiwanis, Goeff Dottery, Tracey Fecher, Kerr Gordon of Springer School and Cammie Hanley.

The 503 children of Springer School showed their gratitude by making an "appreciation tree" last week, at which each student contributed a "thank-you" ornament.

"The effort was totally community based," Celeste said. "That's what made our staff and students so thrilled."