Remember, our leaders come from public schools like John Muir.

Under the able leadership of Ms. Alene Wheaton, Hayes Valley’s own John Muir Elementary School has been receiving grants of materials and funds to help with the education of our neighborhood’s future leaders. I have assisted in writing the several grant applications with Ms. Wheaton and her teachers. Read on!

John Muir Elementary was one of 14 SFUSD schools to receive a Quality Education Investment Act grant. Under the grant, John Muir Elementary will get $111,000 each year for seven years. The funds will go towards hiring a literacy expert, more professional development on reading, and working towards getting John Muir Elementary School’s students to become strong readers.

Fifth grade teacher Mildred Hale won $5,000 for two professional development workshops on math instruction from the National Educators Association. She also won a grant to help teach the fifth graders about financial management. Third grade teacher Michele Cogley won a $5,000 grant from Pacific Gas and Electric to purchase solar cookers for third, fourth and fifth grades in order to learn more about the environment and energy.

Fifth grade teacher Mildred Hale also won a field trip for her students to Audubon Ranch. The students were thrilled to learn about marine wildlife, including guppies. But they were more amazed to see their first horse and cow.

And We Continue to Dream for Our Kids...

We’re still working to find funding for several important items and projects.

• "Word for Word" theater has an outstanding program that infuses students with an excitement and love for reading and literature. The cost of the program is an investment of $8,000 to offer this outstanding program to our 3rd, 4th & 5th grade students.
• How food is grown - Our younger students have never been on a farm nor understand that food must be grown. This is important since farms and gardens are part of the first grades' curriculum. Their fondest dream is to visit a farm. For $5,000, our first and second graders can go to Slide Ranch to learn how their food is grown.
• A mural on our school! Ms. Cogley has also been trying to raise funds to create a Precita Eyes mural on the school's wall along Oak Street. The theme would be the biospheres of California to honor John Muir's vision. The school is looking for donors to help cover the $10,000 cost of the mural.

Since the Spring of 2007, students from the after-school Beacon Program at John Muir ES work with Nora Brereton of the HVN Parks Group on Monday afternoons, every other week in the garden and every other week learning how to cook at Modern Tea with owner Alice Cravens and head cook Alicia. In November, they made ravioli and vegetable salad. When finished they all sat down and enjoyed the fruits of their labors.

Photo: Barbara Wenger