News | Article from Redlands Daily Facts

Victoria gets a makeover

by David James Heiss, Staff Writer

San Bernardino (June 11, 2007) - Victoria Elementary School looked as if it were recovering from a disaster Saturday: Bulldozers were plowing up mounds of dirt, and hundreds of volunteers were on site to offer relief.
Fortunately, Victoria's situation wasn't an emergency. It was a feel-good community outreach, with more than 300 volunteers, including teachers, parents, teams of representatives from local businesses and service clubs coming together to give the 58-year-old school a one-day facelift.

Volunteers painted murals, applied wainscoting, dug trenches, planted gardens and laid a track.

Jan Stephens, community resource manager for Hands On Inland Empire, a United Way affiliate, has overseen extreme makeover projects at three other schools within the Redlands school district, but Saturday was the first time she'd managed to convince several influential people to come to one school at the same time. Loma Linda Mayor Robert Christman, Redlands Mayor Jon Harrison, school district superintendent Bob Hodges and Assemblyman Bill Emmerson, R-Redlands, were among those painting and getting down in the trenches (digging them).

It was also the first time she had coordinated building a track.

Keven Roark, a member of Loma Linda Valley Kiwanis, which contributed $1,500 towards the Peaceful Playgrounds program installation, has spent the last three weeks preparing the new track, which was half completed by mid-day.

Peaceful Playgrounds is a conflict resolution program that includes kits for multiple-use playground activities, such as four-square boxes.

"It's incredible that we were able to meet almost all the needs on the wish list except for a pondless waterfall," Roark said.

Jose Robles, co-owner of Highland-based Jose's Mexican Food restaurant, was a student at Victoria back in the mid-'70s. He heard about the makeover project along with Highland Noon Kiwanis president-elect Lowell Trask during a club meeting.

"When I heard about this, I jumped right on it," said Robles, who is president of Highland Noon Kiwanis. The club contributed $3,000 towards the project. "Every school should get a facelift," he said.

While most students were being supervised with fun activities, such as making sun visors and cards for volunteers, fourth-grader Valerie Duran was acting as a campus gofer.

"I've been helping teachers, running around and doing errands like crazy," said Valerie, whose mother Regina is her school's PTA president. "It's awesome. A lot of people on Monday are going to want to walk all around this campus. Every mural will be crowded with people," she said. "Before, this was an awesome school, as it is now, but it's awesome that it's going to get better."

Several organizations and companies sent out teams of volunteers to help Saturday, including Starbucks, Timberland of Ontario, Century 21/Lois Lauer Realty and Social Action Community Health System.

Linda War, chemical dependency counselor for SACHS, supervised a dozen of her clients Saturday.

"We've got a dozen of our recovering drug and alcohol clients here with their families," War said. "Some of them have children who go to this school. This lets them see some of the damage that is done in the community, and gives them a chance to pay back their community, make a difference and have an impact."

PTA member Rebecca Padilla helped paint the United States on the blacktop. Her children attend school at Victoria: Rueben is a fifth-grader and Rachel is in third-grade.

"I'm really excited about this," she said. "It's really great all the people who came together to do this, and the food places that came out to serve us were wonderful. I can't wait to see how it's all going to look."

Fifth-grade teacher Kerry Marich designed two of the murals: one by a garden, the other facing the Peaceful Playgrounds playground, a silhouette of the Inland Valley.

"When your school is clean and neat, and you demonstrate a sense of pride, it shines back on the kids and hopefully they mirror that pride," she said. "I know a lot of our kids come from disorganization, so it's nice for them to come here to something they can appreciate."

Local retailers volunteered to help the volunteers. Food or beverages were provided by Trader Joe's, Two Guys Pizza, Starbucks, Hot Dog on a Stick, Rosa Maria's and Mi Tortilla, among others.

Office manager Angelina Figueroa was thrilled to see the activity around her campus.

"It's so nice that all these people are helping our school look better," she said. "I've been digging in the garden. I think I'm going to be having lunch out there every day from now on."

"This is amazing," said principal Angela Neuhaus. "When kids come back on Monday, they're going to see this track; they're going to see these beautiful murals - everyone's pride will just soar. I appreciate everyone, our staff and students included, for their help today and thank them from the bottom of our hearts."

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