My daughters came off the bus the other day, and said "You should see KES, it looks so pretty!" They were so thrilled to see the results of last fall's Beautification Day. I meant to pass that along to Lisa Kelly when I saw her at school, and when I saw the recent letter on that subject I was so sorry I hadn't.
I would hope that the kids aren't forced to participate, and I certainly understand a parent's concern about a child being reluctant to do so. But I think what upset a lot of people is the unfortunate reference to parents with "a lot of time on their hands". Parents who took a vacation day, or switched shifts or raced over on their lunch hour surely didn't have time on their hands. Neither did the moms with infants or elderly parents at home who had to find coverage so they could help out at the school. No one feels pressured to attend. They just think its a decent thing to do and a great lesson for the kids.
Killingworth is not a town of pampered housewives, itching to show off their new gardening gloves. It's also not a town of spoiled kids, partly because they see at events like this that Killingworth is fueled by volunteerism. We are fortunate to live in such a town.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Disbrow