Friends of Adaire in the news
Groundbreaking News at Adaire: Unique Partnership Between City Departments and Nonprofits Kicks Off New Schoolyard Project at Fishtown School
John Henry Scott, The Spirit of the Riverwards March 1, 2017 "On February 21, 2017, the Alexander Adaire School at East Thompson and Palmer Streets hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for its new green schoolyard project. The project is part of a three-and-a-half-year-long effort spearheaded by the Friends of Adaire, a registered nonprofit group of parents, educators, and community members with a mission of providing additional resources and support for the elementary school." 
Coded Collaboration: Coded By Kids Comes to Area Schools to Provide Students Free Tech Education
Shealyn Kilroy, The Spirit of the Riverwards March 1, 2017 "Alexander Adaire Elementary School, Penn Treaty Middle School and Horatio B. Hackett Elementary School have come together to bring Coded by Kids into their classrooms to teach students how to code, build websites and understand how computers work behind the scenes. The program is free and lasts for 12 weeks. ... Locally, the Friends of Adaire, Friends of Hackett, and Friends of Penn Treaty groups have joined forces to bring more science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) educational activities to students in their schools. The new STEM Coalition includes Edyta Zielinska and Stefan Zajic, also Friends of Adaire Board Members, who have both worked in science. They started a STEM Fund to raise money for both short- and long-term STEM projects and material at Adaire. Zielinska was enthusiastic about getting Coded by Kids into all area schools when she came upon the program." 
Adaire Elementary breaks ground for new green space
Darryl Murphy, The Philadelphia Public School Notebook Feb. 21, 2017 "Alexander Adaire Elementary School is getting a revitalized schoolyard. ... The new schoolyard is the result of a partnership among the School District of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Water Department, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, Friends of Adaire, which is a volunteer group of Fishtown community members, and the Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit working to create parks and protect land to ensure healthy communities. ... “I am so thrilled about how this all turned out because all of these partners were not connected to the school four years ago,” said Denis Devine, Friends of Adaire volunteer project leader. “Now, through the work of Friends of Adaire and principal Jenkins, all of this community built up around this school.” 
Philly's Latest Green Schoolyard Project Breaks Ground in Fishtown
Watersheds Blog, Philadelphia Water Department Feb. 22, 2017 "On Tuesday, February 21, the Philadelphia Water Department joined a broad group of partners, including Fishtown residents, parents, teachers and students from the Adaire School community, City departments, the School District of Philadelphia, the William Penn Foundation and the nonprofit Trust for Public Land to break ground on Philadelphia’s latest green schoolyard project.... In addition, the Philadelphia School District and the Trust for Public Land are installing a colorful playground, new basketball courts, upgraded play equipment and shade trees. Getting to the start of construction required a tremendous amount of planning and input from the Fishtown community and the Friends of Adaire, a dedicated nonprofit group consisting of parents, educators, and community members." 
Fishtown Schoolyard To Become Green Space
Steve Tawa, CBS 3 Feb. 21, 2017 "An asphalt schoolyard at the Alexander Adaire School in the Fishtown section of Philadelphia (at Thompson and Palmer Streets), is being transformed into a green space." 
Fishtown-area school celebrates groundbreaking of playground
Ryanne Persinger, Philadelphia Tribune Feb. 24, 2017 "In the auditorium of the Alexander Adaire School, at 1300 E. Palmer St., the Trust for Public Land’s Pennsylvania state director on Tuesday morning posed a question to students. “Do we have any fifth-graders, third-graders, second-graders?” inquired Anthony Cucchi, who drew scores of raised hands. “Everything you need to know about building a playground or schoolyard, we learned in the third-, fourth- and fifth-grade.” “One is teamwork,” he said." 
Philly, nonprofit digging in on project to green up schoolyards with parks
Bobby Allyn, Newsworks/WHYY Feb. 24, 2017 "City officials have broken ground for a new schoolyard and public park in Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood." 
Green Space Coming to Fishtown
WPVI -- 6abc Feb. 21, 2017 Tuesday crews broke ground on a highly anticipated project in Fishtown. 
Music in the air at Adaire
Aja Beech, Fishtown Star April 19, 2016 "With the latest School District of Philadelphia budget suggesting further cutbacks and closures, students suffer as Harrisburg struggles to commit to a budget that serves the people of Philadelphia. Amid this turmoil, one Fishtown community has rallied around supporting the Alexander Adaire School, 1300 E. Palmer St. ... Community engagement and celebration are some of the reasons the organization is hosting a public concert on Thursday April 28, in conjunction with the school’s open house. The Adaire open house starts at 5:30 p.m., followed by the concert at 6 p.m. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased via the organization’s website, friendsofadaire.org. Proceeds will go to continued support of the Adaire music program." 
Big plans for green play at Adaire
Melissa Komar, Fishtown Star Feb. 9, 2016 "The deteriorating blacktop that is the Alexander Adaire schoolyard, 1300 E. Palmer St., will be transformed into an urban oasis for play and stormwater management thanks to a collaboration between the school, the community and local and national organizations. On Wednesday, Feb. 3, the Friends of Adaire held a meeting to update the community about the progress of the schoolyard revitalization project." 
New Schoolyard and Renovated Rec Center Coming to Fishtown
Whitney Johnson, The Spirit of the Riverwards Jan. 7, 2016 "The Friends of Adaire ... have announced that their school is getting a new schoolyard. Thanks to the help of City Council President Darrell Clarke, The Trust for Public Land (TPL), The Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) and many others, the school will be getting a new schoolyard that will open for the public. In addition to the renovations at Adaire, the Fishtown Recreation Center will be getting a makeover as well. 
#OurGivingSpirit: Friends of Adaire
Whitney Johnson, The Spirit of the Riverwards Nov. 3, 2015 "Neighborhood residents Kate Hughes, the President of Friends of Adaire, and Stefan Zajic, their Vice President, decided two years ago to use their spare time and energy on this 501(c)3 nonprofit to help the school. Having families with young children of their own, they wanted to be able to give back to their community and help people understand what a great school Adaire actually is, especially at a time when the Philadelphia Public School District is struggling to stay afloat.“What we want is for the children at the school to have the best educational experience possible,” Hughes said. 
Hipster Henry: River Wards School Tour
Hipster Henry: The Parent's Guide to Philadelphia Nov. 3, 2015 "Alexander Adaire (Adaire) is located in the heart of Fishtown. Adaire seems to be the school that parents in and out of catchment gravitate to the most. I have to admit the school does seem to have a special vibe about it. Like Hackett, Adaire has new playground plans that will hopefully start soon. Adaire is a little different since it is a K-8 school. While most school have a mass exit at 5th grade Principal Jenkins said very few students leave. The school is working on getting smartboards in every class room and will be adding a second computer lab. Adaire has built strong relationships with organizations such as Friends of Adaire (leading schoolyard transformation, fundraising for auditorium overhaul & providing STEM support)..." 
Philly School News: River Wards Public School Tour
Lauren Summers, Philly School News Oct. 27, 2015 "This is our absolute favorite part of this "job." We tagged along on a tour of the River Wards schools in Philly's Northeast this morning. Offered to local realtors to educate and inform them of the catchment schools open to their clients, we all hopped from school to school (via an official School Bus) on a whirlwind tour of H.A. Brown, Hackett, Adaire and Moffet. Kearny needed the day off but was included in the information handouts. We toured Brown, Hackett and Adaire last year and we have to say again: it just gets better and better for our public education options. Again, each school proved to be bright and stimulating, with dedicated Principals, teachers and staff, and either strong or ever-growing parent groups." https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.918226208257494.1073741846.725128544233929&type=3 
Parents, volunteers revive Adaire library
Luis Fernando Rodriguez, Fishtown Star, June 3, 2015 "Tuesday Chalmers was on Facebook one day when a friend sent her a link to apply for a grant through James Patterson’s $1.5 Million Pledge to Libraries." Read more 
Comcast Cares for Adaire
The Spirit of the River Wards, April 29, 2015 "On Saturday, April 25, hundreds of volunteers gathered at Alexander Adaire K-8 Public School in Fishtown for Comcast Cares Day, a day of corporate service that put the power of Philadelphia’s telecom giant to work for neighborhoods around the world." Read more 
Concussions 101 in Fishtown
Friend of Adaire Edyta Zielinska connected Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals with Adaire science teacher Rachel Geller to bring a Philadelphia Science Festival preview to Adaire. Todd Bookman, WHYY's Newsworks, April 9, 2015 "Seventh- and eighth-graders at Alexander Adaire School in Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood are getting an extra education in concussions." Read more 
Adaire School Students Exhibit Their Art
Roman Blazic, The Spirit of the River Wards April 15, 2015 "The art of the children from Adaire School was exhibited at Steap and Grind coffee shop for First Friday, April 3rd. A special thanks to Colleen McHale for hosting this event along with the Friends of Adaire School. The Adaire student masterpieces were created under the guidance of their excellent art teacher, Mrs. Charlene Lutz. Come by and see their artwork that will be displayed throughout the month of April." 
Seventh-graders mix history, literature in study of Philadelphia's 1793 yellow fever epidemic
Friends of Adaire facilitated this WHYY 90.9 FM & Newsworks.org story about an especially enterprising field trip. "More than two centuries ago, an outbreak of yellow fever hit Philadelphia — then the largest city in the fledgling United States — and wiped out about 10 percent of the population. Now, one Philadelphia public school is using a young adult novel to impart history and foster a love of reading." Read more 
Philly School News tours Adaire
With Principal Anna Jenkins, Friends of Adaire facilitated a photo tour for the Facebook site "Philly School News." Lauren Summers, Philly School News, February 2, 2015 "Even the nastiest weather couldn’t dampen the spirit of Adaire Elementary this morning." Read more 
Friends and fundraising
Three parents groups banded together last week to raise money for the public schools their children will eventually attend. Julie Zeglen, Fishtown Star, August 26, 2014 "Beer, snacks and conversations about school supplies – all for a good cause." Read more 
Naptime organizing
Fishtown parents fight for more funds for public schools as district unveils 2015 budget Ali Eaves, Fishtown Star, April 29, 2014 "As the funding situation for Philadelphia’s public schools grows more dire, a group of Fishtown parents have stepped in the ring on behalf of their neighborhood school—and their children don’t even go there yet. ..." Read more |
- Beers, bars and babies: The next generation of Philly school parents gets serious
"Dark bars, craft beers, cooing babies and a basic philosophical belief in the power of public education: Meet the new generation of urban-professional parents who just may be crucial to the long-term success of the Philadelphia School District."
Kevin McCorry, WHYY/Newsworks.org, Nov. 20, 2014 - City For Families? Millennial Parents Say So
- Sometimes, it really does seem like strollers are everywhere. In a 2011 report, the Center City District predicted a “coming demographic wave” of school age children in the greater Center City area.
- The future of city schools rests with you fearless, bike-pedaling millennials
Frequent Inquirer contributor Clark DeLeon recently wrote that he “has given up on the Philadelphia public schools."
Christine Carlson, Op-Ed, Philadelphia Public School Notebook, August 26, 2014 - Working to support all schools
Friend of Adaire Denis Devine responded to Christine Carlson's Op-Ed in the Philadelphia Public School Notebook with a web comment that was republished as a Letter to the Editor in the Oct. 2014 print edition, Sept. 24, 2014
David Feldman, Next City, Oct. 28, 2014
- Adaire to receive new playground
It’s just blacktop now, but in a few years, the lot in front of Alexander Adaire School in Fishtown will be filled with play equipment and stormwater systems
Julie Zeglen, Fishtown Star, July 22, 2014 - Friends of Adaire resorts to creative way to help school
Volunteer group created online registry where teachers list supply needs and anyone can purchase for the school themselves
Ali Eaves, Fishtown Star, March 11, 2014
Photo credit: Emma Lee / Newsworks