ROBIN REPORT ™

By Rita Benischek, Edgemere Park At-Large Trustee

Friday, October 30, 2009

The students provided songs and Dr. Dennis Gentry, principal, introduced those individuals who supported the MAPS projects to design, add on, refurbish and bring our Edgemere Elementary School to a bright and shining institution during the formal dedication ceremony. A few former Edgemere students and several dignitaries attended the ceremony on Tuesday, October 20, 2009.

The MAPS for Kids initiative for Edgemere began with architectural changes developed by MA+ Architecture. The addition includes a 4,500-square-foot addition to the previous 34,041 square footage. The new area houses a cafeteria, an elevator and additional interior upgrades for approximately $2.7 million. Significant private donations from the community assisted with many of the interior enhancements such as window coverings, assembling new desks, transporting items and cash donations for teaching or technical equipment for the teachers and principal. The community signaled the importance and commitment of public education. The city and district patrons proved themselves more than willing to tax themselves to see out Oklahoma City schools improve.

Edgemere School was built in 1911 and sits on a 3.27 acre site facing North Walker. The school was named for our residential area in Oklahoma City and is included on the National Register of Historic Places as is Edgemere Park Neighborhood. The pupils provide a racial and ethnic composition of Hispanic, American Indian, Black, White and Asian children as young as pre-kindergarten age.

MAPS for Kids, the Metropolitan Area Public School Trust, was instituted in 2001 when voters approved a one-cent sales tax for funding a massive school improvement initiative. Groundbreaking for Edgemere School was instituted in September 2007 with the release of red and blue balloons.

Our Edgemere Park neighborhood salutes all of the school board members, the teachers, principals, architects and hundreds of volunteers who have kindly given to the school, an anchor of residential mid-city location.