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| Mike Barron volunteers his time at
Valley View Elementary School to paint the
restroom doors on the campus. |
Valley View had some added help to
spruce up the campus last Thursday.
The elementary school held its first
Dad’s Volunteer Day, bringing fathers back to school
for a morning of checking off honey-do lists. Dads
completed tasks such as cleaning, gardening and
painting in their donated DVD T-shirts from 9 a.m.
to noon.
Diana Ruslin, Valley View Parent
Teacher Club president, said the event came at a
prime time, especially with education hit hard with
budget cuts. She said she thought it would be a good
way to give the campus a little sparkle before the
end of the school year.
“Sixty dads can do a lot in three
hours,” Ruslin said.
With the success of the first year, Bob Walatka,
Valley View parent and spearhead of the event, said
he hopes it becomes an annual affair.
“You just ask these dads and they’re
happy to do it,” Walatka said. “They jumped right in
painting doors, planting trees, picking up trash.”
Many of the dads said the day’s
success was due in part to the community involvement
at Valley View.
“There is a great deal of parent
involvement. I don’t think I’ve seen anything like
it,” Walatka said.
PTC funds helped pay for some of the
equipment needed for the clean up like spray paint
and plants, but many of the tools were already on
campus, Walatka said.
On one side of the campus, fathers
were busy repainting the bathroom doors and railings
outside of the multipurpose room, while dads on the
other side of Valley View were doing yard work in
the school’s garden.
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Classes had raised garden beds full of
flowers, plants and garden décor. A couple classes are
in the process of growing a salsa garden full of
tomatoes, onion, cilantro and hot pepper plants.
Rick Jordan, the father of two Valley View students,
was supervising the garden area, where dads were
installing drip systems for newly-planted trees and
cleaning up the grounds. Jordan said his help last week
was all for the kids.
“The kids – the kids did all this,” Jordan said,
pointing to the planted boxes. “I think it’s great for
the kids to be involved. It’s just a big
community.”Michael Cadell was in charge of beautifying
the campus with school colors. A blue wall was being
decorated with sixth- grader handprints in yellow, with
the children signing next to their hand.
Cadell said the students are always ecstatic to see
dads on campus.
“It’s very exciting to have all these dads here,” said
Chuck Kilbourne, Valley View principal.
Sixth-grader Robby Walatka, Bob Walatka’s son, said
it was exciting having his dad on campus.
“He’s cool,” Robby said. “It is kind of cool knowing
that people are coming to the school to help.”
But Henry Savage, Valley View’s lead custodian, may
have been the most excited about the extra hands to
help. Savage was in charge of letting fathers know which
areas of the campus needed help and cleaning, he said.
“It’s awesome, this place is going to look good,”
Savage said. “These guys pretty much knocked it out.”
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