PACOIMA : Overdue Renovations Coming to School

A series of sorely needed improvements to an elementary school serving one of the poorest areas in the San Fernando Valley will begin Saturday, capping a frenzied, two-month period of organizing and boosterism by parents, students, teachers and local volunteers.

“I think what’s going to happen will be miraculous,” said Diane Pritchard, principal of Pacoima’s Montague Street Elementary School.

As part of the Oakland-based International Community Service Day Foundation’s annual community service program, volunteers and community members raised an estimated $16,000 to be spent on the school, where 90% of the student population of 1,300 fall below the poverty line.

The enhancements are designed to increase community pride and bolster the learning environment at the school. Volunteers will help repair and touch-up old murals, paint new murals and remove graffiti. They’ll construct a raised wooden circular assembly area where students, teachers and parents are recognized for good deeds and outstanding academic performance.

They’ll plant shrubs and trees, rip out concrete to make room for a sandbox for the kindergarten students and erect a new jungle gym.

One of the most anticipated improvements will be the installation of brick benches, landscaped with plants and shrubs, in front of the school where parents pick up children.

The idea is to bring the community together, said Mindy Zacks, a teacher and ICSDF volunteer from North Hollywood. “We want people to see what working together with other people can do for everybody,” she said.

While 70% of the materials have been donated already, piping, grass sod and sprinkler systems are still needed, as are volunteer experts in landscaping and sprinkler installation.

The work will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the school, 13000 Montague St., Pacoima. For information, call the Montague hot line at (818) 377-4778.