Last week, the parents, staff and children of El Rincon participated in “The Giving Thanks to El Rincon” event. Together, they cleaned the campus of the Culver City elementary school.
Culver City Unified School District Superintendent, David LaRose approved the project and helped spread the word. He spoke with the Doubletree Hotel, which provided 2 volunteers and donated chocolate chip cookies.
Along with LaRose, Assistant Superintendent Mike Reynolds took the time to walk though the campus several times and follow up to get the school the resources that it needed to complete the overhaul.
The entire community joined forces to beautify the campus.
“It’s an exciting day. It’s important to get my kids involved in the school,” said parent Tivo Lopez.
Mike Korgan of MOT secured the flower donation from a district vendor, South Bay Landscaping. He also participated in the event and ensured that the planting in the main corridor went well.
The rain didn’t keep helpers away; it stopped by morning. The volunteers broke up into three teams: planting, sparkle, and basketball. Carol Zee helped organized the volunteers and was a part of Team Sparkle.
Neil Glickman, an El Rincon parent, arrived early to prep the soil and orchestrated the planting of the Raywood Ash tree on the playground.
“It builds a sense of community and helps the district during these tough financial times,” said Glickman.
Allison Burnett, Booster Club Vice President, led the planting team.
“Teamwork makes the Dream work,” Burnett said.
They planted flowers and shrubs in front of the school and throughout the entryway.
“ The school should have a lot of help so it looks better than it used to. I helped pull out weeds and plant flowers,” said second-grader Kira MacDonald.
Team Sparkle, at the direction of Tiffany Mitchell, cleaned up the entire campus and made it shine brightly.
Principal Brunson assisted with his power-washer, while the rest of Team Sparkle picked up trash, removed old tape, and cleaned glass windows.
“ I think it’s important because my school is important to me and when I help out it makes me feel good to help my school,” said Annabel Axtell, a fourth-grader.
El Rincon Maintenance expert Carlos put up the new perma-nets on the basketball courts and facilitated the entire event by giving access, tools, and supplies where necessary.
Jon Varsano, Booster Club President and James May also assisted in straightening the backboards and securing the nets.
“ I really appreciate all the volunteers that came out today. It’s a great way to be with family and do some work that will benefit the school community,” said Varsano.
By lunchtime, the group of 25 volunteers had transformed the campus—from the rearranged signage and colorful new flowers in the front of the school, to the sparkling hallways inside the school and the refurbished basketball courts, the event showed what a big difference a few dedicated volunteers can make in just a few short hours.
Parents, caregivers, students, faculty, and community members all teamed up to make a positive impact.
To finish off the event, the skies opened up and the rain—which had held off all morning—started to fall down, just in time to water the new plants.