Imagine it’s a warm day outside. You are eating your lunch and talking with your friends but it is just truly not enjoyable. You’re sweaty, hot, and most likely annoyed. A few years ago, teachers used to use the courtyard as an extension of their classroom. Students were able to do their classwork outside under shade. The courtyard wasn’t just for food and transportation. But now that there is no shade, on days when it is too sunny outside, some teachers avoid taking their classes into the courtyard.
Trail adviser Shanon Woolf used to take her English classes into the courtyard.
“When the tables had large umbrellas, the shade meant kids could better see what they were reading and working on. For whatever reason, all the umbrellas were taken down in the middle of the year last year. In the first few months of the year, and in the last few months, it’s too hot to be in direct sun,” Woolf said.
According to Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO) member Jean White guided a vendor through the courtyard to take the measurements back in August.
“The original request for shades was sent two years ago,” White said.
The most recent estimated price for the shade sails was around $25,000. Not only did this require donations from multiple families, but it also called for fundraising options to raise money, including concerts and general donations given by individuals or families to provide the needed funding in hopes to have the shades installed.
PTSO member Linzi Adkins was part of those fundraising efforts.
“Last year’s board/parents raised $2,154 specifically for the shades,” Adkins said.
And on Dec. 11, the PTSO ordered the shade sails.
“They’re getting shipped. [They] are 9×9 and are 360 so they are movable,” White said.
Instead of asking families to donate more money, the PTSO used donations acquired from the Direct Fund Drive towards the shades.
“We went a different route because there is no way we would’ve gotten the needed funding,” White said.
The shades are expected to be put up during and/or after winter break.
“At the latest, we are expecting the shades in by spring,” White said.
