Washington Beautification Committee Works Magic

Washington Primary School’s families, students and faculty members did some recent spring cleaning around the campus. The front of the building as well as the learning garden were weeded, re-seeded and mulched.

Washington’s PTA Beautification Committee coordinator Angela Jurow did a fine job of organizing planning for the initiative, which immediately made a different in the curb appeal of the school.

“The families and staff at Washington are the best,” Principal Michelle Richards said. “So many families showed up to help that we were turning people away at the end.”

Teachers Jeffrey Dicker, Julia Sexton and Nicholas Matarazzo all pitched in alongside students and their family members. “We love how it turned out,” Dr. Richards said.

Washington Elementary School opened in September 1954. It’s peak enrollment was 629. No one knows how that many students fit inside the building’s classrooms, but somehow it worked. The school is just as important to Huntington UFSD as it ever was. Nearly 70 years after it first opened its doors, Washington is still thriving.

Outdoor education is alive at the school. “Each grade level is assigned a plot in the learning garden,” Dr. Richard explained. “Fruit, such as strawberries and vegetables, like cucumbers are planted in the garden. Throughout the summer and autumn months, the students harvest the crops and enjoy them with their classmates and teachers.”

The learning garden was refurbished in 2020 under the coordination of Ms. Jurow and Todd Patane. “Since then, we are enjoying the hands-on learning experience for our Washington Winners,” Dr. Richards said.