Redding Pilot
At Redding's middle school
Parents seek help to fix teachers’ lounge

Jun 8, 2007

by Jennifer Wastrom

There is a forgotten corner at the John Read Middle School. It contains a rather ragged sofa donated by a bygone principal. The cinderblock walls are bare. The electrical wiring is such that only one plug can work at a time. Where is this unfortunate space? It is the teachers’ lounge, the place where the middle school faculty and administration go to eat a quiet lunch, enjoy a cup of coffee, confer with colleagues, or simply recharge their batteries. The room is in a sad state of disrepair. It will never be addressed by the school budget; all of those dollars appropriately go toward the needs of the students. But a few parents are ambitiously stepping in to attempt an “extreme makeover” of the lounge.

The “Operation Teachers Lounge Renovation” Team is a small group of parents who want to do something worthwhile for the staff of the middle school. Jean Tompkins, who is championing the cause, discovered the sorry conditions there when she began volunteering at the school two years ago.

“I became chair of the Staff Appreciation Luncheons, held twice a year in the teachers’ lounge. When I saw the visually depressing space, I was disheartened, to say the least. But it got worse when I kept blowing fuses each time I tried to plug in a coffeemaker or use the microwave... I spoke with a few parents who agreed that the hard-working teachers deserve at least a comfortable spot to eat lunch. We realize this effort is a bit unconventional, but believe it is the right thing to do.”

The Operation Teachers’ Lounge Renovation Team is asking for monetary donations to pay for upgrades including furniture, shelving and appliances.

“Please consider making a contribution to this ambitious but very worthwhile cause, as an end-of-the-year-token of appreciation for your child’s teachers,” said Alice Smith, a member of the renovation committee. “We have created personalized gift certificates acknowledging your thoughtfulness, which will be presented to the teachers in your child’s name; anonymous gifts are also certainly welcome. A donation form can be downloaded from the school’s Web site, http://www.er9.org/jrms/.”

The committee is also encouraging those in town who perhaps know a teacher personally, had children at the school in the past, or will have students there in the future to also consider making a donation. Checks made payable to: “JRMS ACTIVITY FUND” with “Teacher’s Lounge Renovation” on the memo line may be sent to the John Read Middle School, 486 Redding Road, Redding. For more information, contact Jean Tompkins at decoball@optonline.net.

© Copyright 2007 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers