March 31, 2015 - 11:46
I really appreciate you bringing in this experience as an example of how much schools can mean to a community and what roles they can occupy, and I totally agree! I spent this past summer at a high school in New York City, and being there made me realize how much school buildings can just become hubs for all kinds of activities. There were several summer programs being run out of the building, like art classes and literacy courses; there were students who needed to complete some of their credits in order to move on to the next grade or prepare to re-take a Regents exam (the state tests everyone has to take in NY); there was a summer food program (really big in NYC!) where free breakfast and lunch were provided to the people in the neighborhood who wanted (or needed?) it, etc. When Chicago resident Earvin Wade said in the NY Times Article, "It hurts...You used to have a lot of kids there, families around. It was at the heart of our neighborhood. Now it’s nothing but an eyesore," it really spoke to how much meaning people attach to schools in their neighborhoods. When my brother was in middle school, he rarely came straight home at the end of the school day; instead, he'd spend hours playing basketball with his friends in their school courtyard. Schools also become safe spaces for kids to congregate and hang out, and I think in urban areas, that's a really big deal.