VOLUNTEERS BEAUTIFY FAIRFIELD HIGH CAMPUS ON MLK DAY
As was typical for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, no classes were held at Fairfield High School Monday. Nonetheless, the campus was alive with activity as close to 100 volunteers worked to pick up litter, paint classrooms and construct garden boxes for the school’s culinary program.
In the words of Rebuilding Together Solano County, it was “a day on, not a day off.”
For the 11th year in a row, Rebuilding Together joined forces with local agencies and volunteers who demonstrated hearts full of grace to help spruce up Fairfield High’s 56-year-old campus as it has for other Fairfield Suisun Unified School District schools. The work began at 8:30 a.m. and continued until about 4 p.m.
The day drew in efforts from everybody from Fairfield High students and faculty, elected officials and volunteers from such agencies as Travis Air Force Base, Medic Ambulance, Liberty Church, the Matt Garcia Foundation, Vallejo Executive Lions Club, California State University, Maritime Academy, Fairfield Public Safety Academy, Home Depot and Kaiser Permanente, the latter two of whom donated substantial amounts of money to fund the event.
FSUSD school board Trustee Jonathan Richardson was pleased with the turnout.
“This is a phenomenal turnout, considering the significance of this day,” he said. “MLK was about service to others, and there’s no better homage that we can pay to his legacy than showing up as a diverse group of individuals serving the community and making a difference that will last beyond this moment.”
In the past, the day has allowed volunteers to do projects at other FSUSD schools such as Anna Kyle Elementary School, Crescent Elementary School and Suisun Valley K-8 School.
Will Cushman, the principal of Fairfield High, said the school applied for grants with the help of district officials like Superintendent Kris Corey; Dr. Sheila McCabe, assistant superintendent of educational services; and Tim Goree, executive director of administrative services and community engagement.
“They connected us with some opportunities,” Cushman said.
On Monday, volunteers did everything from smaller tasks like picking up trash or cleaning windows and furniture in the classrooms and the library to largerscale projects like clearing out a former woodworking classroom to be converted into a fitness center to be used by staff and students, painting several falcon murals in the gym, doing a makeover of the faculty lounge, creating a student wellness center as well as a parent and community engagement center and constructing planter boxes for culinary students to grow fresh ingredients for their program.
One of the volunteers was Fairfield Mayor Harry Price who was pleased with the variety of people who turned out.
“I am always inspired by the number of people and the age range of these volunteers,” he said.
The volunteers ranged from school-aged children to 93-year-old World War II veteran Paul Ball. Several volunteers were Fairfield High students who used their day off as an opportunity to fix up their campus. Patrick Roberson, a senior, had built a planter box for his Eagle Scout project, so the work came naturally to him.
“Being able to give back, not only to the school that’s helped me out but to Fairfield, in general, is really important to me,” he said.
Roberson plans to serve in the Air Force after he graduates.
Nor Jemjemian, Kaiser’s senior vice president and area manager for the Napa/ Solano region, said the organization had donated $50,000 to Fairfield High, including $18,000 for the fitness center, which would allow students to exercise outside of their physical education time.
“Kaiser Permanente’s mission is not only to provide the highest quality of health care but also to serve within the communities that our facilities are in,” he said. “This is one way of giving back to our communities.”
Cushman was grateful for all of the improvements taking place at Fairfield High.
“I feel very blessed to be here at Fairfield High with all these wonderful upgrades and a focus on health and wellness,” he said.
Jemjemian said such events are a way to honor King’s legacy, particularly through bringing people together of all races, genders, and religions together to perform community service.
“We are all human beings in one,” he said. “Together, we can all accomplish in taking down barriers and making our communities we live in stronger,” he said.
Richardson said the day was one that would have beneficial long-term impacts on the Fairfield High campus.
“It’s a beautiful day, a day that most people would love to take off but is a perfect day for people to sacrifice their personal time to give back for a purpose that is far more valuable than what they could ever imagine,” he said.