The following article was submitted by Susan Gulick. Susan is a neighbor representative on the Good Shepherd Center Advisory Board (GSCAB). Her interviewee, Erin French, is the Director of Admissions and Marketing at the Meridian School. The following conversation discusses concerns that some neighbors have expressed about the presence of Meridian School at the Good Shepherd Center.
Background on Meridian School
Susan: Before we begin, can you provide some background on Meridian School?
Erin: Of course!
The Meridian School is an independent, elementary (K-5) day school located in the historic Good Shepherd Center building on Meridian Park. We enroll 190-200 students during the school year, and run a summer program in July and August, which is an experiential day camp open to all families with school-aged children living the in neighborhood.
In addition to strong academics, The Meridian School has a place-based education program, and our community is committed to being good stewards of the Good Shepherd Center and Meridian Park.
Projects we have completed within the last two years include:
- Funding the replacement of woodchips on Meridian Playground (current)
- Supporting grounds maintenance and clean-up during our all-school Community Service Day in September (annually).
- Planting and helping to maintain heritage apple trees in Meridian Park. This work was done in partnership with City Fruit after four trees were felled during last year’s windstorms (2016, ongoing)
- Painting the sculptures around Meridian Playground as a part of the Seattle’s 1 Percent for Arts program (2015).
In addition, Meridian students regularly partner with Wallingford businesses and nonprofit organizations headquartered in the Good Shepherd Building. Longstanding and frequent partnerships include Seattle Tilth, the Wallingford Senior Center, and FamilyWorks Food Bank.
We strive to be a positive, contributing member of the Wallingford community, but also recognize that certain aspects of our daily operation might impact those in our neighborhood.
Traffic on Sunnyside
Susan: Erin, one of key concerns neighbors have regards traffic when students are picked up or dropped off, primarily on Sunnyside Avenue. Are there certain times of the day that neighbors should try to use other streets?
Erin: Drop-off occurs between 8:15-8:30 a.m. on weekdays. The drop-off is staggered and the traffic impact is generally pretty small. The bigger impact is during pick-up, which occurs between 2:55 and 3:35 p.m.
Susan: Is there a traffic pattern that parents are asked to use?
Erin: We ask all of our families to use a traffic pattern of driving south on Sunnyside to pick up kids, and continuing south on Sunnyside after the pick-up. Therefore, it would be wise to avoid driving north on Sunnyside during that time (2:55-3:35). If possible, neighbors may want to avoid Sunnyside altogether during that period.
Susan: Some neighbors also express frustration with parking on streets around the neighborhood during pick-up and drop-off. Do you have any ideas on that?
Erin: We also tell our parents to be respectful of the neighbors and not to block driveways, double park, etc. If there is ever a problem we encourage neighbors to call the school so that we can work with parents to minimize neighbor impacts.
Susan: Do you have any other ideas on how to address traffic issues?
Erin: We want to work cooperatively with neighbors to address any problems. If neighbors have concerns, please call the school office (206-632-7154) or to email us at [email protected].
Sharing the playground and park
Susan: Another concern is use of the playground and Meridian Park. Parents complain that their preschoolers will be playing on the playground equipment and suddenly be overrun with older children when recess commences. Similarly, some neighbors complain that the school uses the entire park instead of staying in certain areas and leaving the rest of the park to the public.
Are there specific times of day when the playground is or is not used?
Erin: Our all-school recess is between 11:30 and 12 each school day. Our students play on the north side of the Meridian Park and on Meridian Playground during this time.
Other times of the day there may be students in the park when individual classes decide to go outdoors. However, these are not regularly scheduled.
We also have Physical Education classes that use the gazebo area in the SE corner of the park.
There is also an after-school program that uses the park, particularly the playground and NW quadrant. In the summer months, this is a day-long program and often uses the gazebo area as well.
Susan: Are there areas of the park that the school uses for P.E. or after school activities, and others that are not used?
Erin: We ask our teachers and students to use the Meridian Playground and the north side of the park (adjacent to 50th Street) and to avoid using the SW quadrant of the park so that is available for neighbors who do not want to be disturbed by our students. As mentioned above, our PE classes also use the gazebo area in the SE corner of the park.
Susan: What should neighbors do if they feel their children are being over-run by school kids—either at recess or the afterschool program?
Erin: Our children are always supervised by staff when they are in Meridian Park. Staff members wear orange, Meridian School vests. Neighbors should not hesitate to approach a staff member if there is ever a problem so that we can address it immediately, or follow-up with a phone call.
Other
Susan: Do you have any other ideas on how to address park and playground sharing between neighbors and the school?
Erin: It may be helpful for neighbors to know about key events where we have more people than normal using the park. Our full calendar can be found at www.meridianschool.edu. The key events include:
- A back-to-school picnic for families. This takes place on a weekday afternoon in late August.
- A Grandparent and Special Friends day. This takes place on a weekday morning in October.
- Community Service Day. This takes place on a weekday morning in September.
- Experiential Learning Conference. This is a full-day event in March.
- Global Studies Museum Day. This takes place on a weekday morning in May.
- All-School Picnic. This takes place on a weekday afternoon in June.
- This takes place on a weekday afternoon/evening (4:30-6:30 p.m.) in June.
Susan: Erin, thank you so much for taking the time to share this information. I think it will be helpful to neighbors.
Erin: You’re welcome! Please remind neighbors that if they ever have concerns, they should call the school office (206-632-7154) or to email us at [email protected]
Personally, I have no problem with sharing playground space with students of the school or summer program. I think it promotes integration of multiple schools in a positive way. However, as a former summer staff of another school, I have seen less than positive behavior by Meridian’s students and staff. While we visited this public park over several summers, we experienced some minor bickering between Meridian summer school students and ours. This is not out of the ordinary, but the way the Meridian staff handled it was inappropriate. Instead of separating the kids and defusing the situation as we attempted, they proceeded to yell at our staff in front of all the kids. They blamed us for how poorly our kids behaved, despite the fact that our student was the victim in this situation. There were other instances where they tried to police our students, even though our students were supervised by our staff at all times. Basically, I feel that the staff sometimes portray an attitude that they own this public space and have the right to either let their students overrun it, or try to discipline kids who aren’t even their students.
Yikes1 it is unfortunate that the poster here did not try to resolve this issue with the summer program director and instead writes an anonymous complaint.
Don’t you have some graffitti to report? You’re so quick to criticize people on this site.
I’m sharing a personal opinion and experience. It was something that actually happened to me, not gossip. Like I said in my reply above, I want this to lead to harmony between Meridian and the surrounding neighborhood and schools. Currently, it is just very difficult for our program to share that space. Maybe this can open a dialogue to bridging that gap.
Don’t let cathy blunderful bother you. You sound very reasonable!
We went through the proper actions with our program director. Not intending to write a complaint so much as share a personal opinion. I think Meridian is a great school, and I hope that there can be harmony with the neighborhood.
Is it normal for a private school, which charges $22,000 a year for tuition, to use a public park as its recreation area?
I do not know that answer, but one question that needs an answer is:
Does Meridian School pay the Good Shepard Center for all that space? How much do they pay? Whom do they pay? Do they pay the city for having their kids all over the park?
I agree that Meridian seems territorial of all the space outside, despite what Erin has said in the interview. Regarding traffic and parking, there are many other programs and events at the Good Shepard Center. I stopped going because the time the class ended was too close to the parents picking up their kids. No way to get out of the parking if I was lucky enough to get in it.
It is unreasonable and irrational, close to almost illegal, for Meridan to suggest avoiding Sunnyside. The Wallingford Senior Center is there, with afternoon activities, and many of us are quite old. Tilth is a vibrant organization, and people should not have to park on some presidential street far away from the building because of Meridian School. The entrance to the parking lot for the Good Shepard is ON Sunnyside! How about Meridian having a different drop off place, like on the west side of the park on Meridian Avenue (where the school parks their buses) Another idea is for kids to get picked up on one of the north end of one of the dead end streets which are on the south side of Good Shepard. But that is not a very good idea.
Is Trump Avenue a “presidential street?”
To Pork Pie, I do not understand your response directed to to my post above. This is a relevant topic, and I am trying to contribute ideas.
I am trying to contribute, to be helpful, and to illustrate how the school does impact all he other agencies in the Good Shepard Center. And think of other options to help everyone. To fully understand the impact of parents picking up the kids, backing up the entire circular driveway, and out on Sunnyside, I do suggest you get in your car, put it in the parking lot around 2-2:15, then try to get out of there. It is a huge challenge. It will generally take you more than 30 minutes to get out of there. Unfortunately the parents all have schedules and harried and hurried lives, and the motivation to let a car coming out of the parking lot get in line, is not present.
When parents are pickup up there children, there is no way to get in or out of the drive, and/or the parking lot. I have a suggestion, which I plan to meet with them to discuss…How about having grades 3,4,5, with their being picked up on Meridian? And grades K-3 continue to be picked up in the circular driveway? This would take much of the impact off the circular driveway, and off Sunnyside.
Addressing another topic addressed in this discussion. I do believe, based on my own experience with a 3 and 4 year old, , that the Meridian staff feel more ownership of the play equipment and space. They need to be very aware of realizing that people who take their children to play in the park, and on the equipment, have as much right to be there as Meridian kids…cause it IS a public park.
I think Pork has a beef with one of your typos.
Interesting ideas re the dropoff/pickup procedure iowagirl. I wonder if anyone has sent them to The Meridian School directly/?
Good idea, and I have not done that. I’ll meet with them next week. Another thought I had. We know the Meridian school buses are parked on Meridian. Mentioning the thought again of having the higher grade students, get picked up on the east side of Meridian Avenue, where they park their buses. This would considerably relieve the chaos on the circular driveway.
Very interesting idea of having the older kids picked up at another site. Good luck with your meeting with them.
Hi iowagirl did you get to connect wiht them? They were on break last week.
wiht
My kids don’t go to the Meridian School but I feel a need to defend them nonetheless. Good Shepherd Center has a lot going on. The traffic can’t be all Meridian’s fault, right? I wouldn’t want to deny any kids access to the park, and the comment about the tuition seems very polarizing.
My kids do go to public school, and I am a proud proponent of public school. But I hate to beat up on Meridian. At the end of the day it’s a school with some great kids.
I mentioned the tuition because $22,000 a year seems like a lot of money. I know almost nothing about Meridian School, but if they regularly use a public park as part of their facility, then aren’t taxpayers somewhat subsidizing a private school? This seems a little strange to me.
It’s simply a public park.
You or I could assemble a gaggle of kids every Wednesday, put on orange vests, and call our outing the Soiree of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and go play in the park en masse, and nobody’s subsidizing anybody….
It’s “public”
Absolutely correct. In fact, they should open it to tent campers and use this as a teachable moment for helping the elite children of elite parents understand the underbelly of the system that got mommy the $2500 stroller.
Sure, it’s a public park. But isn’t a private institution deriving a benefit from its use? Can I set up a business in Gasworks Park?
Sort of, but I believe you have to make arrangements with the city. Fitness programs, for example – you might see a group of people running up and down the hill with someone yelling at them, and believe it or not they’re paying that person for the privilege, so there’s your business. Some actually do make those arrangements, some don’t. It isn’t rigorously enforced, of course.
I’ve spent many an afternoon at the Wallingford Farmers market, and used to meet weekly with my PEPS group at the Good Shepherd playground. I know how tight the parking is there. I work for Pogo Rides (our office is on Wallingford and 34th) our mobile app helps schools and sports organizations cut down neighborhood traffic by connecting families to carpool. There’s no cost, and we are even starting to pay parents to be Pogo Neighborhood Ambassadors to help spread the word. If anyone is interested in being the Wallingford Ambassador feel free to reply and let me know! We hope this makes a difference in the neighborhood. –Julia, [email protected]
That’s a cool and constructive suggestion, Julia! I hope your mobile app is successful.
That is very interesting, a good idea. Thank you for acknowledging the tight parking in the area.