Welcome To MacArthur Metro

Students at Horace Mann work on the school garden. Photos by Nick Lostracco. Click to enlarge.

My recent visit to Horace Mann Elementary School (5222 Ygnacio Ave.) was not only a pleasant surprise, it was uplifting. It gave me great hope for the future of the children of Oakland. With all the negative news in the papers about the dire straits of the Oakland Unified School District, I never expected to see this spacious, bright, and clean complex of buildings and landscaping that make up the Horace Mann campus.'

Horace Mann didn't get this way accidentally. It took hard work, bulldog tenacity, and a ready, willing, and able body of children and adults at hand. One of those is Jeanne Nixon, a retired corporate executive, who was looking for some way to contribute to the neighborhood. She asked Jean Quan, who suggested that Nixon "go to that school [Horace Mann] and see if you can get something started." Helpers also included people like the Melrose High Hopes NCPC Beat 27X who formally adopted Horace Mann, which means they are bound to support and assist whenever necessary. A neighborhood landscaper is participating in the planting of a diverse garden at the side of the school, with plants that adapt well to the Melrose biosphere.

The garden is a good-sized area filled with many planter boxes that teach the children where it all starts—in the earth. From the good earth, good nutrition; from good nutrition, good children. These boxes are decorated with colorful tiles made by the children. Some plants are edible and are used for experimentation as well as learning the art of growing things. There is a planter box of only worms, for worm composting to fertilize the plants. This garden is maintained by the children and was recently the recipient of a $10,000 grant to fund a Garden Enrichment Teacher. It provides an additional learning path to reinforce science, math, nutrition, and language arts concepts.

Horace Mann was also awarded a grant to add a salad bar to their cafeteria facility, which now serves daily breakfast, lunch, and snacks. This is no small feat. A professional will be hired and the school expects adults will volunteer to assist. It should be functional in the fall.

After four years cramped in portables and without a library, the students now have access to a beautiful, well-stocked, and airy library. The library might be called the pièce de résistance of the Horace Mann makeover, if only because of the participation of so many people: parents, students, teachers, the NCPC, and neighborhood volunteers. The project took a lot of labor and it appears to be well worth it.

By now you might be thinking, "Yes, this is all very healthy and colorful, but what about academic achievement?" And Patty Sheehan, Vice-Principal of Horace Mann, would tell you that "The garden, library, and salad bar program, together with a rigorous curriculum intentionally focused on academic performance have helped Horace Mann surpass their API (academic performance index) two years in a row."

Jeanne Nixon has been coming up with constructive ideas and organizing

for their implementation for at least four years. She wants the neighborhood and others to know that Horace Mann (K to 5) is a first class school—first-class in health, beautification and nutrition, as well as in academic progress. How fortunate are the parents who have enrolled their children in Horace Mann.