From Caterpillar to Butterfly

This is an unbelievable (but true!) story about an elementary school principal, dedicated parents, and a community that revitalized a failing public school. I received an email from Jacqueline Edelberg with the link below to view the end results of this school makeover that came from hundreds of generous acts of kindness. If you are a teacher, parent, or a member of a community you love, look at this virtual tour and you will want to know more about Jacqueline and the Nettelhorst School.

Here's Jacqueline Edelberg's story: When my girlfriend and I ventured inside Nettelhorst, our neighborhood’s underutilized and struggling public elementary school, the new principal asked what it would take for us to enroll our children. Stunned by her candor, we returned the next day armed with an extensive wish list. The principal read our list and said “Well, let’s get started, girls! It’s going to be a busy year…” We were eight park moms who galvanized neighborhood parents and then organized an entire community to take a leap of faith, transforming a challenged urban school into one of Chicago’s best, virtually overnight.

If eight park moms could pull our little neighborhood school out of its twenty-five year nose-dive, surely other driven parents could do the same thing. If we could spark a national grassroots school reform movement that would pull us all out of the giant mess we're in, now wouldn't that be something?

Jacqueline
www.howtowalktoschool.com

Jacqueline's message: Every kid, in every community, deserves a great neighborhood public school.