LETTER: ‘Build our schools up’
October 29, 2021 | By Jessica DeaneTo the community:
My name is Jess Deane. I have been a Waterbury Center resident for the past 10 years, a parent for the past seven years, and a science teacher at Harwood for the past nine years. I know there is a lot of conflicting information and many different views out there, so I want to explain why I am supporting the Harwood bond as a parent of two elementary students, community member, and teacher.
As a parent, I have two children who attend Brookside Primary School. In a few years, they will be in middle school and I’m excited for them to be at Crossett Brook Middle School with students from all across our district, with all the opportunities that entails. I support the bond because it includes an addition to Crossett Brook, making the building able to accommodate all of the 7th and 8th graders in our district in a way that is conducive to their education and development.
As a community member, I love living in Waterbury Center and plan to stay here for the long haul. Improving our schools is an investment in our community - it takes care of our children and attracts new families to our district. I support the bond because it will revitalize and energize our largest building, Harwood, into one that all community members can utilize and take pride in.
As a science teacher at Harwood, I spent the last eight years teaching in a windowless classroom with a lab area that hasn’t been updated since it was installed in 1965. We have endured disruptive power outages, fire alarms, and lead water warnings due to old, deteriorating infrastructure. I support the bond because it means a bright, welcoming, safe, state-of-the-art building where we can engage, challenge, and support all of our students.
Sometimes I stop reading Front Porch Forum posts and local paper op-eds because they make me feel discouraged and defensive. As someone in the building every day, I know how tirelessly everyone is working to provide the best education and environment for all of our students - we’ve done that through the pandemic, just as we did before. I want our community to be one that is critical and collaborative in a way that builds our schools up, not tears them down. I hope you will come out on Tuesday, vote to approve the bond, and be part of that community with me.
Jessica Deane
Waterbury Center