Meet Sarah Moore and Jennifer Piccolo
Platt Park is lucky to have a dynamic sister-in-law duo. If you are involved in our local schools, chances are you already know them: Sarah Moore and Jennifer Piccolo. These two moms have done an awe-inspiring amount of work to raise awareness and improve our neighborhood schools. Among their many accomplishments, they started the Platt Park School Committee, which has hosted neighborhood forums and reported on school performance in monthly newsletters. We consider these ladies a community asset!
How long have you lived in Platt Park and how long have you been parents?
Can you tell us how the Platt Park School Committee got started and what it does?
Sarah: Jenny was the impetus for starting the committee over five years ago. I was in pregnancy mind fog at the time. At first it seemed crazy to think about the quality of schools when my first was still on the way. But seeing Jenny's family struggle with the options they had in DPS as their kids were nearing ECE and kindergarten made me realize the issues that all families had in our amazing neighborhood. After looking into things myself, I began to understand why folks typically moved out once their kids reached school age. It seemed very clear that it didn't need to be that way.
Jenn: All the new parents I met would express their concern about the local schools during conversations. I thought if we could get all this brainpower together on the same goal, we could do something about it. When we started in 2010, only 1 of our 4 feeder schools was a "Green" (Meets expectations) on the DPS SPF ratings, with the other 3 as "yellow" (Accredited, on watch). I'm happy to announce that on the 2013 ratings, all 4 schools are green, with both Elementary Schools near the top of the green scale, very close to "Blue" (Distinguished). We hope that our work with the school and the central administration has helped push these schools in the right direction.
From your perspective, how can Platt Park residents help make our neighborhood schools stronger?
Sarah: Be informed! Attending school events, taking a school tour, or talking to a school principal at great options to learn about our neighborhood schools. Anything you can do that can teach yourself something about a school (outside of what you read on-line) is the best way to get a feel for what a school is really like.
Jenn: The biggest thing that parents can do is to visit the school and do their research into the data. Meet the principals, tours the school (along with other schools for comparison), and talk to the teachers. There have been a lot of changes in the models at each school, so past perceptions or neighbors’ comments need to be taken with a grain of salt. Of course, you need to do what is best for your child, but don't be afraid to give feedback to the administration on why your local school isn't your first choice so they can continue to hear neighborhood comments and improve the programs.
What is your favorite thing about Platt Park? And what is your favorite thing about living in the same 'hood as your sister-in-law?
Sarah: My favorite thing about Platt Park is the friendly neighbors and the "walkability." When my husband and I first moved here, being able to walk to all the activities on Pearl St and the parks seemed to be unmatched in most other neighborhoods. With the addition of two kids, the potential to be able to walk to schools from kindergarten through 12th grade seems to heighten our sense of community. When Jenny and her family bought a house around the corner from us, we were excited to have them enjoy all of the things we love about the neighborhood. Once we both had kids, we realized how awesome it is to have the family in an already strong community. Plus, it is handy for some free babysitting!
Jenn: My favorite thing about about Platt Park is the socio-economic diversity. I love that there are small bungalows, next to duplexes, next to new builds, with all ranges of ages. I hope we never get to the point of all the houses and people looking the same! Of course having family around the corner helps with any meetings I need to attend :)
Sarah: In 2004 my husband and I rented a place right on South Pearl Street for only 6 months before we decided to make things permanent with the perchance of a home just a few blocks away. We moved in on Halloween of 2004, 5 years before the arrival of our first child. We were so happy to have a constant flow of Trick or Treaters. Passing out candy to the kiddos and meeting our friendly neighbors was much more fun than unpacking!
Jenn: Pete and I moved with our brand new baby Max to Platt Park and immediately fell in love with the neighborhood. And it helped that Sarah and my brother Jeremy lived just around the corner! Max is now almost 9 and our daughter Effie just turned 7.