21 Days Until the Vote

You know that saying “You don’t know what you’re missing?” That sums up my “See for Yourself” experience this past weekend. I knew our school buildings were in trouble, but I had no idea what we were missing. And by “we” I mean all of us. Not just my kids, not just your kids, but the entire community.


I’m not somebody who likes comparing myself with others (or comparing my kids, my car, certainly not the cleanliness of my car – or the cleanliness of my kids for that matter). But that was the opportunity we as a community were provided with this past weekend. For me it had nothing to do with comparing Mariemont to Madeira. For me, it was about seeing what a new school has that contributes to a better learning environment vs. what my kids are experiencing in their learning environment. This was not a “Madeira is better than Mariemont” or vice versa scenario.


I toured both Mariemont Elementary and Madeira Elementary. It was eye opening. Actually it was more than that, it was amazing. The idea that what Madeira has given their kids and community is right at our fingertips is so exciting. But, I’ve gotten ahead of my self.


Look, I know Mariemont Elementary. My three boys are in that school so I’ve spent my fair share in those halls, classrooms, and even bathrooms. There’s no question I have a soft spot in my heart for that place. However, after seeing Madeira Elementary, my soft spot sort of turned into a sad spot. We can and should be giving our kids such a better learning environment that it’s, well, amazing we’re not.


Madeira Elementary is filled with natural light, visible in every area possible; it was both bright and energizing. If you don’t believe me, think about how you feel when the sun pops out after several gray and rainy days. As I walked around the school and looked in the classrooms, I noticed the excellent storage space in each room. Seems like no big deal, but this gave the rooms a much less cluttered and distracting look and feel than our classrooms. My guess is that everybody thinks better in that type of setting; I know I do. As I continued on my tour, it suddenly dawned on me, when I stepped into the cool and colorful library, that the entire school was the same comfy temperature. One room wasn’t stifling and the other freezing. How nice is that? I stopped by the bathroom. It doesn’t smell. The sinks all work. The toilets flush. There is a computer lab designed so all monitors face the teacher – the kids can be working on their computer projects together (vs. scattered throughout the school) and nobody can be looking at YouTube, their e-mail or anything else they shouldn’t be during school time. I could give you more details, but I imagine you get the idea.


On a broader note, the feeling or atmosphere provided by the new Madeira building is both refreshing and progressive. It is not “over the top” or wasteful in any way. It’s not like I walked into a place with slate floors, flat screen TVs in classrooms, professional caliber athletic facilities and a gourmet cafeteria. Instead, what I saw was what we should, without question, be providing. I saw a building that offers excellent space and learning environments for their students. It’s that simple.


As I was standing there I realized I was proud of what Madeira had done. How weird is that? But I was. And the idea that we can do our own Mariemont version that fits our community and our kids is so exciting. Talk about refreshing and energizing! This is big guys. Really big. Let’s stay focused and get this passed. We need you to vote YES either by mail or on May 4th. Then we can stand in our halls and be proud of what we’ve provided for all of us.