Independence should be proud

When my family gets together, sooner or later someone tells the story about the funny things that happened at my sister’s wedding 25 years ago, or our trip to the Grand Canyon when I was 8. Those stories connect us together.

A little more than 2,500 people shared the story of the Extreme School Makeover on July 26-27, and they have been telling those stories since then: the woman who drove down from Des Moines to clean bathrooms at Fairmount Elementary, and the Grandview company whose workers showed up to help at North Rock Creek/Korte. The homeless man who took the bus out from the Plaza to work on the schools and took the bus back at the end of the day. Our elected leaders showed up and worked both days in the heat. 

In the stories about the Extreme School Makeover there is a joy and amazement at what Dr. Jim Hinson called the “generosity of spirit.” Dr. Hinson figures that the painting done on the schools that weekend would have taken the District paint crews five years to complete.

Jim Reynolds, the deacon at St. Ann’s Catholic Church says, “It’s a commitment of the heart. Kids see that the community cares. That’s going to influence them and their families.” I believe that people in Independence will be telling stories about the events around the western Independence schools for many years to come. 

Ten-thousand people signed petitions, an overwhelming majority voted last November to change the school district boundaries – 97 percent of the vote in western Independence itself. Two-thousand, five-hundred people came out to clean up the schools in July.

It’s good every once in a while to remember that democracy requires the consent of the governed. That is something the Kansas City School District had forgotten. The enthusiasm and commitment of so many people in the last year puts the public back in our public schools. 

But there’s more to be done. The deterioration of the school buildings is matched by deterioration in the educational process itself. I hear that morale is high among the new staff at the western Independence schools. They know they have an opportunity here to make a difference in the lives of children. We need to continue to work with the schools and our children with the same good faith that people showed at the Extreme School Makeover. 

And so, a call for commitment - at the Volunteer Appreciation Event that the District held last Saturday, Dr. Hinson asked, “What are you going to do next?”  Let us keep the momentum going.

If you are interested in being involved in the schools, please contact Laura Vernon at the Independence School District Volunteer Services office to find out about ways to get involved. Her number is:  816-521-5320, extension 3.

Also, there is a survey that will soon be on the City of Independence Web site and is already on the Independence School District web site asking the community what they would like to see happen next. I invite you to get online and fill it out. 

This community took a huge step forward in the last 12 months and everyone who signed a petition, voted in November, attended a court case or participated in the Extreme School Makeover has stories to tell their grandchildren.

So, Independence, what are you going to do next?