American Statesman

Group instills pride while sprucing up Austin schools

Travis Community Education Foundation aims to give a face-lift, sense of ownership, to 30 schools by end of 2005

 

By Michelle M. Martinez AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Monday, December 6, 2004

Visitors to Mendez Middle School might notice the newly planted trees out front or the jazzed-up courtyard adorned with large stone pots and colorful flowers.

Less noticeable will be the sense of ownership and pride built in the community on a frigid Saturday in November, when Mendez parents and students joined members of a local nonprofit group and educators to begin an aesthetic transformation of the Southeast Austin school. "It keeps the neighborhood beautiful, and it brings everyone together," Mendez parent Sophia Gonzalez said. She and her son, Xavier Coronado, a seventh-grader at the school, were among about 60 people who showed up to plant trees, paint rusty downspouts and improve the courtyard.

Mendez is just one of 22 Austin schools where the Travis Community Education Foundation has tackled beautification projects. The group, with local lawyer John Blazier as its driving force, is on a mission to give 30 schools a face-lift by the end of 2005. However, Blazier said, the group has a goal greater than making schools look nice.

"This is not about landscaping," he said. "It's about building community ownership of neighborhood schools. When teachers see that we care, their whole attitude is more positive. When students see that we care, and they help work with us, their attitude about themselves, about their school, becomes more positive."

Blazier, who no longer has children in the Austin school district, teamed up with parents and businesses a decade ago to create the education foundation. Originally, the group was created to support Travis High School, but its focus has expanded over the years. The group, which has more than 100 active contributors who donate money, time or materials, is involved in an array of projects. For example, Blazier played an integral role in starting the Institute of Hospitality and Culinary Arts at Travis High School and the Health Sciences Institute of Austin at Lanier High.

The group also buys computers for schools, pays for freshmen summer math camps and finds sponsors for specific activities, such as a trip to Ireland for 10 culinary students at Bowie and Travis high schools next summer. Blazier is trying to come up with $36,000 to send the students to internships in Dublin.

But one of the organization's biggest focuses is beautifying schools. The group has teamed up with the Austin school district, which provides maintenance workers and heavy equipment. The organization typically rounds up the labor and buys supplies.

"There's no way the district could have done a fraction of this without this collaborative effort that we've really just kind of grown here in the past few years," said Brad Shaver, the district's assistant director for maintenance. Shaver couldn't estimate how much money the education foundation had saved the district.

That day in November, with temperatures in the 50s, parents, students, teachers, custodians, foundation members and representatives of the local office of brokerage firm Edward D. Jones & Co. LP showed up at Mendez to work. In addition to planting the trees, volunteers painted rusty downspouts near the entrance of the school and put a dozen round tables and as many pots filled with snapdragons and dianthus flowers in the courtyard. "I think it's something pretty for the kids to see," said Markisha Graham, a student volunteer new to the school. It was the foundation's second round of work at Mendez. Blazier said the group returns to schools after some months to help with upkeep. Blazier is modest about the role he's played in helping Austin schools, but school officials, educators and community members say he is their leader.

"He is just such a quiet force," said Kalí Rourke, president of the foundation's executive board. "He mobilizes people. He gets them excited about making a difference in our public schools, and he's incredibly humble about it."

mmmartinez@statesman.com; 445-3633