We do so love a simple graphic. It can make a complex problem simple. Take this, for example, sent us by Julie Pellegrino Gilbert and the Playground Action Team of the John Stanford School PTA, along with the question “If you were a kid, what playground looks like more fun?”
Now, there are no “right or wrong answers”, unless you answered “the one on the left”. That’s wrong. The one on the right is way more fun. It’s also more likely to “promote physical activity”, but that sounds like something the PTA would worry about, so we’re focusing on the fun part.
Now, the reason they bring this particular graphical puzzle to your attention is that they’re raising money to transform the picture on the left into the picture on the right. Partial funding has been provided by the City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, Latona School Associates, and the school’s PTSA, but they still have to raise $30,000 to complete the project. If they raise enough of it by July 1st, the project gets built. If they don’t, they miss a construction window and the project will be delayed by a year, at least.
Thus, they come to you hat in hand, no amount too small. To donate by mail, send your check payable to JSIS PTSA and write ‘PLAYGROUND’ on your check. Mail your check to JSIS PTSA, 4057 5th Avenue N.E., Seattle, WA 98105. Donations are tax deductible (and can be matched by your company).
For more info, visit their project web site.
To learn more about the entire Phase 1 West Playground Renovation Project please visit our website at jsisweb.com/playground.
Disclaimer: Many mornings find Mr. Wallyhood, clothed in ragged pajamas and slippers, coffee cup in hand, at the dusty play structure on the left, watching Baby Z blow off morning steam before the big kids arrive. We would be happy to have the play structure on the right, as it would make our precaffeinated mornings more bearable.
Does JSIS have that many Wallyhood students?
When we conducted a poll back in February, we tallied 29 students in Wallingford going to JSIS. Granted, that number is only a small sample of the neighborhood demographics, but we found that it was roughly 33% of all of the respondents–the largest number in the pie (with “private schools” a close second). Come this fall, though, an even greater percentage of Wallingford will be headed to JSIS. Used to be if you lived on the west side of Wallingford Avenue, below 45th, you would go to B.F. Day. That border has now been moved to Stone Way.
Here’s the original school poll post:
http://www.wallyhood.org/?s=school+poll
A quick flip thru the student directory shows that most JSIS students live in the neighborhood, with the rest coming from nearby north end neighborhoods.
And next year, with the new attendance area boundaries and very little if any grandfathering of siblings at JSIS, the school will really be Wallyhood-centric. http://www.seattleschools.org/area/boundarymapa/pdfs/Hamilton_Adopted.pdf