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Friends of Ross
Friends of Ross are a small group of neighborhood residents who work on a variety of projects to benefit Dupont Circle’s public school-Ross Elementary School at 1730 R Street NW.
When Debby Hanrahan and I first started Friends of Ross many years ago, most people in the neighborhood did not even know what or where Ross Elementary was. Debby spent much of her time simply informing and educating neighbors about our only neighborhood DC public elementary school. Debby is the talker and I do things. Debby’s grown sons attended Ross years ago and I do what I can do.
Friends of Ross are responsible for the annual Christmas Tree Sale, annual Mother’s Day Book Drive and school cleanups/renovations. Our first renovation was to improve everyone’s first impression of the school. The front door, doorframe and window frame above the door was an ugly mix of unpainted, primer and several dirty faded paint colors. Everyone’s first impression was, “What a dump.” Neighbor Michael Johnson advised us to paint the front area aquamarine and another neighbor; the late architect John Wiebenson had the idea for the round white portholes on the front door for signs. I did the front door area painting while Debby painted the surrounding brick-although typically I painted while Debby spent most of her time talking up Ross to passers-by. When we finished, for the first time, Ross had a welcoming face.
Our Christmas Tree Sale was actually started in the mid-1990s to raise funds and distribute $500 increments to folks in Ward 2 who were actually doing something to help kids, versus talking about doing something. The reason we were not yet helping Ross Elementary was simple and best explained in this example. A neighbor recently retired from the Foreign Service wrote to Ross asking to become a volunteer. The then Principal responded with, “You don’t think we’re competent and insult us by implying we need your help.” With a new Principal, Gloria Smith, later in the 1990s, that attitude changed. Ross went from viewing community as the enemy to asking for and wanting community support and help. We continued the tree sale-now as a fundraiser exclusively for Ross. The money raised from the first two annual sales went to renovate the library, transform a long walk-in closet into a teacher workspace, and break area. In the following years, money raised went to help pay for specialized training and to buy supplies that otherwise teachers would have had to pay out of their own pockets. Several years ago, the Ross PTA had become organized enough that we could gratefully turn over the responsibility for the tree sale to the Ross PTA. This year we are concerned because many of the parents responsible for previous tree sales have moved or their children are no longer at Ross, so we hope other parents will step up and run the sale this year.
Our annual Mother’s Day Book Drive came about from a conversation at Trio Restaurant with Millie Pacl, Donna Beuttell, Debby and me. Millie was a Ross library volunteer and quietly fussed, “It is such a shame that the school system doesn’t have any money to buy library books.” She got our attention. People complain about a problem, community activists complain about a problem and then work on a solution. The next holiday was Mother’s Day so Friends of Ross tied the book drive to that annual event. Volunteer librarian Kathy Nelick solicits from teacher’s lists of books for each grade level and for a suggested donation of $25.00 you get to select a book, dedicate the book in honor of anyone and we send a letter acknowledging your gift to the honoree and add a bookplate to the book with your name and their name. This year we raised over $5,000 to buy books which, when combined with the book discount rate that Ross gets through the school system, equates to $9,000 worth of books.
I was chaperone and photographer with the Ross third grade class for the National Zoo’s official opening of their Asia Walk. We were the first official visitors to enter the newly opened exhibit that includes everyone favorite-the pandas. I had my photo taken with a costume of a Panda. I identify with such folks. My favorite moment was when the small-clawed otters all ran to their window to watch us humans parade past them.
I have also been the Ross gardener. For several years, I worked only in the sidewalk tree boxes. One time I was walking past the neglected Ross front yard and thought how ugly were the four old park benches visibly chained together in a rigid row and how someone should do something. I stopped and asked myself, “Whom am I kidding?” I went in, angled the benches, and did my best to hide the chains. The front yard looked 100% better and I realized that I had yet another gardening project. Getting ready for the new school year of 2008, I spent one day repairing benches, three days shoveling and spreading mulch, and several days water sealing/water proofing ten benches with three more to go.
Friends of Ross are a small group of neighborhood residents who work on a variety of projects to benefit Dupont Circle’s public school-Ross Elementary School at 1730 R Street NW.
When Debby Hanrahan and I first started Friends of Ross many years ago, most people in the neighborhood did not even know what or where Ross Elementary was. Debby spent much of her time simply informing and educating neighbors about our only neighborhood DC public elementary school. Debby is the talker and I do things. Debby’s grown sons attended Ross years ago and I do what I can do.
Friends of Ross are responsible for the annual Christmas Tree Sale, annual Mother’s Day Book Drive and school cleanups/renovations. Our first renovation was to improve everyone’s first impression of the school. The front door, doorframe and window frame above the door was an ugly mix of unpainted, primer and several dirty faded paint colors. Everyone’s first impression was, “What a dump.” Neighbor Michael Johnson advised us to paint the front area aquamarine and another neighbor; the late architect John Wiebenson had the idea for the round white portholes on the front door for signs. I did the front door area painting while Debby painted the surrounding brick-although typically I painted while Debby spent most of her time talking up Ross to passers-by. When we finished, for the first time, Ross had a welcoming face.
Our Christmas Tree Sale was actually started in the mid-1990s to raise funds and distribute $500 increments to folks in Ward 2 who were actually doing something to help kids, versus talking about doing something. The reason we were not yet helping Ross Elementary was simple and best explained in this example. A neighbor recently retired from the Foreign Service wrote to Ross asking to become a volunteer. The then Principal responded with, “You don’t think we’re competent and insult us by implying we need your help.” With a new Principal, Gloria Smith, later in the 1990s, that attitude changed. Ross went from viewing community as the enemy to asking for and wanting community support and help. We continued the tree sale-now as a fundraiser exclusively for Ross. The money raised from the first two annual sales went to renovate the library, transform a long walk-in closet into a teacher workspace, and break area. In the following years, money raised went to help pay for specialized training and to buy supplies that otherwise teachers would have had to pay out of their own pockets. Several years ago, the Ross PTA had become organized enough that we could gratefully turn over the responsibility for the tree sale to the Ross PTA. This year we are concerned because many of the parents responsible for previous tree sales have moved or their children are no longer at Ross, so we hope other parents will step up and run the sale this year.
Our annual Mother’s Day Book Drive came about from a conversation at Trio Restaurant with Millie Pacl, Donna Beuttell, Debby and me. Millie was a Ross library volunteer and quietly fussed, “It is such a shame that the school system doesn’t have any money to buy library books.” She got our attention. People complain about a problem, community activists complain about a problem and then work on a solution. The next holiday was Mother’s Day so Friends of Ross tied the book drive to that annual event. Volunteer librarian Kathy Nelick solicits from teacher’s lists of books for each grade level and for a suggested donation of $25.00 you get to select a book, dedicate the book in honor of anyone and we send a letter acknowledging your gift to the honoree and add a bookplate to the book with your name and their name. This year we raised over $5,000 to buy books which, when combined with the book discount rate that Ross gets through the school system, equates to $9,000 worth of books.
I was chaperone and photographer with the Ross third grade class for the National Zoo’s official opening of their Asia Walk. We were the first official visitors to enter the newly opened exhibit that includes everyone favorite-the pandas. I had my photo taken with a costume of a Panda. I identify with such folks. My favorite moment was when the small-clawed otters all ran to their window to watch us humans parade past them.
I have also been the Ross gardener. For several years, I worked only in the sidewalk tree boxes. One time I was walking past the neglected Ross front yard and thought how ugly were the four old park benches visibly chained together in a rigid row and how someone should do something. I stopped and asked myself, “Whom am I kidding?” I went in, angled the benches, and did my best to hide the chains. The front yard looked 100% better and I realized that I had yet another gardening project. Getting ready for the new school year of 2008, I spent one day repairing benches, three days shoveling and spreading mulch, and several days water sealing/water proofing ten benches with three more to go.
