News Item
PTO trumpets the importance of Chase Elementary School
January 2009
At
the recent Monticello Schools Rock Hill Firehouse Chat, Emma C.
Chase PTO President Lauralyn Radlein and Chase Positive Action
Committee leader Maryann Swensen gave an impassioned
presentation to the crowd of more than 200 attendees to show how
Chase is more than just a school - it is the center of the whole
community. Radlein and her committee members put together the
PowerPoint presentation because of discussions that have
surfaced at other community meetings suggesting that her school
may be targeted to close.
Though no decisions have been made at this time, if one of the district elementary schools will be shut down to offset the $3.4 million deficit the district is facing in the upcoming year, Radlein wasn’t taking any chances. She was determined to show, by using facts, figures and realistic scenarios, that closing Chase was not a good idea. She mentioned how a 72 unit condominium was set to be built within the next year right next door to the school, how the Safe Routes to School program was saving the district money on transportation and how Chase students work constantly to help those in need from throughout Sullivan County and beyond, including raising money for the homeless, helping fund the Ronald McDonald Family Room at Westchester Medical Center and creating a hat and mitten tree during the holidays to make sure that as many children as possible have those items to wear during the cold winter. Radlein and Swensen also gave a detailed accounting of how Chase is used by almost a dozen different groups, something that keeps the small community close-knit and makes it a place outsiders have actually sought out to live.
“Our building is utilized about 82 hours a week for community activities for people of all ages, including the Mamakating Walks program, youth basketball league, Boys Scouts, Girl Scouts and the youth and adult volleyball leagues, to name a few,” explained Radlein who is a 13-year resident of Wurtsboro. “Through the years, we have built many programs that connect our students to their community with groups like the fire department, the American Legion, the Sheriff’s Department, the First Aid Squad and the Lions Club. These organizations are all a part of the Chase family with the school being the heartbeat.”
For more information about volunteering for the Chase Elementary School PTO, please call 888-2471.
Photo: From left, Emma C. Chase Elementary School students Andrew Fredell, Jonah Lilley, Stephen Radlein, Cassidy Swensen and Bryan and Caitlin Pagano with PTO parents Maryann Swensen and Lauralyn Radlein.