Stacy at Parkside
Tucked way back in a crowded East Naples neighborhood, where the yards are surrounded by chain link fences and the windows are adorned with bedding as curtains is a fresh, modern looking school known as Parkside Elementary School.
As I walked up to the school where I was about to serve as “principal for the day,” I was greeted by lines of grinning children making their way to the waiting school buses as their Principal Tamie Stewart excitedly waved goodbye to them. She told me that the fifth grade class was on their way to Tigertail Beach on Marco Island, and that for more than half of those children, this would be the first time they had ever seen the Gulf. For many people in Collier County, Principal Stewart explained, a day at the beach is only a short drive away; but many students at this school do not have transportation or anyone who can take them there.
Stewart described the time when the school took the first group of students to see the Gulf. “It was one of my favorite days as an educator,” she said. “When the water washed up on their feet, you could hear the squeals of delight. They were just mesmerized.”
This fact would be just one of many surprising and heartwarming things I would learn as Principal for the Day at Parkside Elementary. This annual program organized by the school district, places a community business person or citizen in each of the schools as a way to spread awareness about what the schools are accomplishing for Collier County’s children.
The accomplishments truly were impressive. When Stewart was transferred to Parkside from high achieving Lake Park Elementary in 2012, most of the teachers were starting their first year as educators and the school had received F ratings. Parkside became one of eleven schools in Florida to receive a school improvement grant from the Department of Education for $3 million over three years.
The first School Improvement Grant goal that Stewart set for the school was teacher retention. The school could not improve, she explained, if every year she got a batch of new teachers. Experienced teachers often don’t want to come to a low performing school where hard work may not translate into desired progress. So, she set out to make Parkside not only a wonderful place to learn, but also to work. She made sure that key influencers in the community visited the school often to encourage the staff. She includes the entire staff in shared decision-making. Stewart also pointed out that when you have young teachers, they tend to be at the stage in their life where they are having babies. Childcare becomes an issue for these teachers, who often live far from the school. Stewart worked hard to create “Tiny Tadpoles,” a unique in-school daycare staffed by the Marco Island YMCA for the infants and toddlers of the employees at Parkside.
Classroom resources help to keep education relevant for the children, and each classroom has four desktop computers and five iPads. Many of the homes have internet access through phones, but the children themselves often do not own technology to be able to use the many educational apps outside of the classroom.
Another way to help the students learn and support the teachers was to use the grant for additional human resources. “I could have only bought stuff,” Stewart says, but hiring additional academic coaches and staffing also impacts learning. The money also staffs after school and summer enrichment programs that nearly the entire student population attends. These programs not only provide a safe environment for the children to be after school and in the summer, but also a place where they can be assured of an additional meal.
The challenge that Stewart and the School Improvement Grant cannot remove is the demographic of the student population, nor can it be used to assist it. Parkside Elementary draws from one of the poorest communities in Collier County where 98% of the children are on free or reduced lunch. With 87% of the students coming from non-English speaking families, chances for parental involvement is limited. There are no school buses to bring the children to school because the entire population comes from the surrounding Naples Manor neighborhood, and the children can walk to school. Parent-teacher conferences are rare because, in addition to the language barrier, a parent missing an hour or two of work to come to school can translate into $50 out of the weekly household budget after lost wages and transportation. Parents often cannot even volunteer at the school without a staff escort, because if they are undocumented residents, they cannot pass the security clearance required to interact with the children.
To alleviate the stress of the prevalent poverty, Stewart and guidance counselor Tom Gemmer must continually market the school to solicit support from community business partners and nonprofits. The result has been overwhelming. Each Friday, most students receive a bag of healthy groceries consisting of food that they can prepare themselves in case they find themselves alone due to a parent’s work schedule. Affectionately called a “Power Pack,” the food is provided by Catholic Charities. An onsite food pantry is supplied by the Harry Chapin Food Bank and staffed by volunteers from North Naples United Methodist Church. Catholic Charities also provides a mental health counselor several days per week that both the students and the parents can utilize.
Like most elementary schools in the district, Parkside has a uniform dress code and every student is provided with a uniform package from the nonprofit Angels Undercover. Laces of Love steps in to provide shoes and sneakers at the beginning of the school year and as needed when student referrals are made. The Botanical Gardens provides materials and assistance to the school’s own garden. Other assistance is provided by the East Naples Foundation Civic Association, the Marco Island YMCA, Literacy Volunteers of Collier County, East Naples Kiwanis, the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, Seacrest Country Day School and area churches.
Since Stewart became principal at Parkside, the school has been able to raise their grade from an F to a C, but Stewart emphasizes “C is not for Ceiling.”
As we toured the school, success was evident at every level. Each classroom door was opened and held by a designated student greeter. The kindergarten classes were quietly on task. While the teacher worked at a table with one group, the others were engaged on one of four computers, iPads or deskwork.
Next, we observed fourth graders working at zSpace, the only virtual reality lab in a Collier County school, made possible by the School Improvement Grant. Stewart explained that for a school population where the majority of the students are English language learners, experiential learning is a key to success. The students in the lab were excited to share their 3-D glasses and show us what they were learning about on the screens.
Another fourth grade class was busy dissecting owl pellets and charting their results, an activity I recognized from my own children’s school. The fifth grade classes were busy on activities related to Veteran’s Day.
The babies in the daycare were peacefully sleeping while lullabies softly played.
The school’s small but enthusiastic PTO was assembling items for a holiday shop that the students will be able to buy inexpensive gifts for their families and friends.
Throughout the classrooms and the halls, students were engaged, neatly dressed, polite and enthusiastic. Stewart points out that behavior referrals are rare here.
The school’s mission is “Empowering Students for Lifelong Success,” Stewart explains. “ We are teaching them to reach beyond what has been expected of them in the community.”
Meanwhile, at Another Elementary School Across Town
While I was enjoying my day at Parkside, Karen Conley was across town at Parkside’s sister school, Sea Gate Elementary, where my own children have attended over the last eleven years. Sea Gate, which draws from a more fortunate demographic and boasts one of the most active Parent Teacher Organizations in the district, partners with Parkside by sharing its resources, fundraising and volunteers for field trips.
Conley, who is the President and CEO of the local nonprofit Charity for Change, was Principal for a Day at Parkside Elementary last year. During her day with Sea Gate Principal Beverly Budzynski, she attended a PTO meeting, observed fourth grade musicians playing the xylophone, fifth graders dancing the Cha-Cha-Cha as part of a social dance initiative and students gardening with a parent volunteer in the school’s organic garden.
One of the things that surprised Conley the most was the overwhelming attendance of parents at the PTO meeting. “The most interesting aspect of the experience was seeing the level of involvement from passionate and caring parents in the PTO,” she observed. “It was eye-opening to see the disparity in the level of involvement between this school and the Title 1 school I visited last year, where the parents did not have the same capacity to participate.”
Conley noted that despite the difference in demographics, the two schools and the student experience have a lot of similarities, which she attributes to the extraordinary educators and principals. “Despite the difference in parental participation, the students and halls of the campus looked very much the same. The passion for student success is very evident at both schools. The culture of kindness and teamwork was very similar and impressive,” she said.
Budzynski also noted that while the challenges may be different at each school in the district, the needs of the children always have one thing in common. “The students, regardless of where they are from don’t care about the size of the rewards,” she said. “They just want to be recognized for their achievements.”
Charity for Change was founded in 2008 with a vision to inspire giving as a way of life through character education and community engagement.
The School "Giver" Program engages 10,000 students in a relevant learning experience reinforcing academic achievement, character development and community engagement.