School Dedication

When we first arrived here Alena's school was being added onto and renovated. It was a mess we had to walk across makeshift sidewalks, the front door didn't even exist, dust was heavy in the air and there was plastic covering anything that wasn't moving, no air conditioning with the temperature into the 100's. And there in the mist of the dust, the mess and debris, power tools buzzing in the background, men shouting orders and asking for tools and supplies, were the staff, teachers and students of Eastridge.

Despite everything I was still impressed, the children seemed to be genuinely happy to be at school, so it gave me hope that my daughter would also be happy there.

So we have a beautiful new school now complete with pretty blue doors, lots of windows, shiny new floors and the smell of lunch being cooked, is it time for the School Dedication and it was magnificent! The atmosphere was amazing everyone was so excited, the children beamed with pride as they showed their families around their school, introducing them to their teachers and staff members as they encouter them in the halls.
The Principle Dr. Villereal or Dr. V as he is effectionately known is met with cheers and an explotion of applause as he walks to the center of the gym and he officially starts the dedication. He speaks a little of the reasons why the changes and he proudly praises the staff and children of the school for enduring months and months of changes and uncomfortable conditions.
As I watch the sea of faces light up, and hear the applause as the many people are introduced and thanked throughout the evening for their role(s) in making these changes happen, I can't help but feel a sense of fulfillment although I played no part in making any of it happen. I see and hear the children clap vigorously and proudly for their teachers, vice principle and principle. You can see on their faces the love and admiration they have for them and it is almost overwhelming.
I know and understand now why 9 months ago under such crippling conditions, the teachers and students of the school acted as if nothing was wrong in their world. Because it is not the walls and the pretty blue doors, the big windows or the shiny floors that make a school great, it is the people inside those walls, the people that care and share their lives everyday that make it great!
Although our stay here may not be for long, I am happy that I chose this school for my daughter and I am assured that when we leave the people she has met here, her friends and most importantly her wonderful teachers and the entire staff she/we have encountered will have made an impact on our lives that will stay with us for years to come.