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Kids Find They Have A Lot In Common

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By COURTNEY CAIRNS PASTOR

cpastor@tampatrib.com

Published: November 5, 2008

WESTCHASE - It wasn't hard making friends, second-graders Morgan Heinzen and Ebony Knights said about an hour after they met.

"We already found things in common," Morgan said.

The connection? Guinea pigs. Both girls love them. Morgan has one in her classroom, and Ebony has one at home.

The second-graders swapped likes and dislikes as they decorated pumpkins with stickers and yarn. They asked each other for help twisting pipe cleaners and praised the results.

The girls attend schools that draw from different demographics and might never have met were it not for a special day their schools planned.

Morgan, 7, attends Deer Park Elementary, near Westchase. Ebony, 8, goes to Just Elementary, on Spruce Street in central Tampa.
Deer Park is predominantly white, with about 20 percent of its children coming from low-income families. Just is 85 percent black, and nearly 97 percent of the students are poor.

Teacher Dawn Grossman knows both schools well. She taught at Just for two years before coming to Deer Park. While at Just, she created a partnership with businesses, asking them to spend time with the children on reading and writing.

When she moved to Deer Park, she decided to use the same model to establish a relationship between her old school and new one. She said she hoped it helped the children develop an understanding of and respect for one another.

She paired classes, grade by grade, and the students sent photographs or letters to each other. On Oct. 17, Just took a field trip to Deer Park so the children could meet their buddies, read and eat together, and participate in fall-themed activities.

Students lined up in the Deer Park cafeteria at 9 a.m. that day, pressing against the glass for a glimpse of the buses from Just. They wore name tags and carried signs with their buddies' names or welcome wishes.

"We are so excited that you came to visit us at Deer Park," Grossman told the guests when they arrived.

Children greeted each other, and many held hands as they walked to class. Groups took turns doing crafts in a "pumpkin patch," moved inside the media center because of rain. Ebony and Morgan tried out different looks for their pumpkins and talked about the day ahead of them.

"We're making pumpkin pie in a bag," Morgan said.

"I love pumpkin pie," Ebony said.

Sally Henderson, who teaches second grade at Just, said the students had no trouble getting along because they were at an age where they were open to new experiences and people.

"We're very excited about being here," Henderson said. "It's such a special opportunity."

For the Deer Park children, the visit exposed them to children outside their immediate community. Beth-Anne Febre, a Deer Park kindergarten teacher, said her students could broaden their environments by working together.

Older students also enjoyed helping the younger ones. Tessa Balish, a fourth-grader, said she hoped her school felt like home to the Just students. She knew some of them did not have homes that were as safe or fortunate as hers.

Her class attended the pumpkin patch to give guidance to other grades. Tessa sent her charge to her next activity with a hug.

"You were so good," she said.

Reporter Courtney Cairns Pastor can be reached at (813) 865-1503.

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