Signs Of A Thriving Community

This Article Originally Appeared in The Lakewood Observer on June 4, 2025

by Marie Fechik-Kirk

If you don’t have a child in elementary school, you might be wondering about the purple and gold “Keep Our 7 Neighborhood Elementary Schools” yard signs. The Preserve Lakewood Schools yard signs are a sign of a thriving community where parents, graduates,and community members value the quality of their public elementary schools, and will go above and beyond to protect them. Preserve Lakewood Schools is a coalition of parents, residents, and leaders, committed to preventing the closure/repurposing of elementary schools by Lakewood City Schools, and supporting the long-term vitality of Lakewood's public schools.

The School District is currently considering closing and repurposing one or even two of its seven neighborhood elementary schools including Grant, Lincoln or Roosevelt. Closing and repurposing a school will impact hundreds of families, change traffic patterns, and reduce walkability in our community.

Walkability helps to enhance learning. Walking provides for light exercise before school, so students are better able to focus. It also makes transportation home from after-school activities easier. Lakewood students also take walking field trips. Just this year, our daughter’s class has walked to the Lakewood Public Library, the Lakewood Plant Company, and Kaufman Park. This helps acquaint students with their community, expands their learning, and is much cheaper than paying for a school bus and a driver.

Walkability also helps to create a sense of community. The multitude of hellos, as you walk to school in the morning, the quick check-ins as you wait for the entry bell, and the impromptu playdate as you pick-up your child from school all help to create a strong sense of community. Belonging aids in reducing anxiety, and creating a school environment that is kinder and more accepting. In a world that is increasingly disconnected, it’s nice to live in a place that is engineered for connection.

The parents, former students, residents and leaders involved in Preserve Lakewood Schools, value the unique culture created by having seven neighborhood elementary schools. They have collaborated together to create a website, a Facebook page and yard signs to inform community members. They have also canvassed over a half-dozen streets, spoken out at school board meetings and penned articles in the Observer to address concerns. I can assure you that if the quality of the elementary schools wasn’t high, residents, leaders, and parents representing all seven schools would not have banded together to protect them.

Recently Mayor George stepped out in support of preserving our seven elementary schools, too. Her perspective in the April 16, 2025 Observer article “Letter To The Community Regarding The Future Of Lakewood City Schools” illuminated the work of Lakewood’s 50-Year Committee and its connection to the decommissioning of three facilities, and the rebuilding and renovation of the other facilities. This was done to preserve the legacy of Lakewood City Schools as a walkable school district and to prepare for the decrease in school enrollment.

The Brookings Institute, which is a non-partisan evidence-based research non-profit, has highlighted that schools need committed local leadership, not only within school systems but also from local officials like mayors, city managers, and councilmembers. A city’s well-being is contingent on the well-being of the families that live there. Therefore, the quality of the schools impact the quality of the community.

When you want a high-quality community, you need to rally behind your public schools.

Whether it’s sharing their perspective as an architect, educator, lawyer, digital marketer, data analyst, sales executive, or an expert in community engagement, community members are investing their time and talent into retaining our seven neighborhood schools. Please check out Preserve Lakewood Schools' website, and in the fall vote for Monica Bruaw, who is running for Lakewood City Schools Board of Education, and helped to create Preserve Lakewood Schools.

Marie Fechik-Kirk is a Lakewood Resident and parent of a Lakewood Ranger. She spent over10 years as an educator and currently works as a project manager.