Somerset ES putting in turf field

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ole Silver Spring! vamanos!

If you're going to be derisive about Spanish-speakers in Silver Spring, please at least use correct Spanish. It's "vámonos".

[Anonymous]

Learned that one at the silver spring social services admin office? That SSA place is nonstop packed!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a proud SS parent, I value the diversity within my children's playground. My DC can watch the dirt, crab grass, dandelions, and clover all live in harmony and gain an understanding of each others hardships in life. I wouldn't trade that kind of experience for the world.

Me too!

Bet there are no adorable baby bunnies hopping around on that pathetic fake turf field they'll be building.

I just went to Downtown Silver Spring for the first time last night to meet friends for dinner and there is no diversity. It is all African American and Hispanic. Diverse is multiple SES, cultures, races etc... This was not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a proud SS parent, I value the diversity within my children's playground. My DC can watch the dirt, crab grass, dandelions, and clover all live in harmony and gain an understanding of each others hardships in life. I wouldn't trade that kind of experience for the world.

Me too!

Bet there are no adorable baby bunnies hopping around on that pathetic fake turf field they'll be building.

I just went to Downtown Silver Spring for the first time last night to meet friends for dinner and there is no diversity. It is all African American and Hispanic. Diverse is multiple SES, cultures, races etc... This was not.

Even if it were all African-American and Hispanic, I honestly don't understand how you can say there's no diversity. Notice the "and" in "African-American AND Hispanic"? (Notice also your assumption that AfricanAmericanandHispanic people all have the same SES, culture, and race.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a proud SS parent, I value the diversity within my children's playground. My DC can watch the dirt, crab grass, dandelions, and clover all live in harmony and gain an understanding of each others hardships in life. I wouldn't trade that kind of experience for the world.

Me too!

Bet there are no adorable baby bunnies hopping around on that pathetic fake turf field they'll be building.

I just went to Downtown Silver Spring for the first time last night to meet friends for dinner and there is no diversity that would make me fell safe but still convey the sense of a white majority. It is all African American and Hispanic. Diverse is multiple SES, cultures, races etc... This was barely better than PG.

Even if it were all African-American and Hispanic, I honestly don't understand how you can say there's no diversity. Notice the "and" in "African-American AND Hispanic"? (Notice also your assumption that AfricanAmericanandHispanic people all have the same SES, culture, and race.)

Fixed it for him

[Anonymous]

Serious question about this, for people in the Somerset community with knowledge of this issue: I just saw the letter that was sent around about the logic for this move, and it states that past efforts to reseed and even resod the field have been unsuccessful, and the grass has died "due to the field's small size (smallest of all MCPS schools) and the large student population using it, as well as it's hard-packed composition."
If these are really the barriers to natural grass, why not direct after-school soccer practices etc to other facilities? It seems silly to make everyone pay for this field which may have health and environmental liabilities, if the heavy use of the field could lessened.
And with a budget of $550,000 (!) is there really nothing to be done about "hard packed composition" of soil?
I would love to hear from this on people who actually are familiar with the issues. We are new to the school community and think this effort sounds crazy, but would love to know more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Serious question about this, for people in the Somerset community with knowledge of this issue: I just saw the letter that was sent around about the logic for this move, and it states that past efforts to reseed and even resod the field have been unsuccessful, and the grass has died "due to the field's small size (smallest of all MCPS schools) and the large student population using it, as well as it's hard-packed composition."
If these are really the barriers to natural grass, why not direct after-school soccer practices etc to other facilities? It seems silly to make everyone pay for this field which may have health and environmental liabilities, if the heavy use of the field could lessened.
And with a budget of $550,000 (!) is there really nothing to be done about "hard packed composition" of soil?
I would love to hear from this on people who actually are familiar with the issues. We are new to the school community and think this effort sounds crazy, but would love to know more.

Because they have money to burn.

Or, maybe someone associated with the effort has an Artificial Turf business and wants to make some easy money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Serious question about this, for people in the Somerset community with knowledge of this issue: I just saw the letter that was sent around about the logic for this move, and it states that past efforts to reseed and even resod the field have been unsuccessful, and the grass has died "due to the field's small size (smallest of all MCPS schools) and the large student population using it, as well as it's hard-packed composition."
If these are really the barriers to natural grass, why not direct after-school soccer practices etc to other facilities? It seems silly to make everyone pay for this field which may have health and environmental liabilities, if the heavy use of the field could lessened.
And with a budget of $550,000 (!) is there really nothing to be done about "hard packed composition" of soil?
I would love to hear from this on people who actually are familiar with the issues. We are new to the school community and think this effort sounds crazy, but would love to know more.

What on earth is the point of having a field at an elementary school if after-school functions are redirected to a different facility? What you are describing is a school with a really nice lawn, no field, and kids who have to be schlepped all over the place for after-school activities. That's a step backwards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Serious question about this, for people in the Somerset community with knowledge of this issue: I just saw the letter that was sent around about the logic for this move, and it states that past efforts to reseed and even resod the field have been unsuccessful, and the grass has died "due to the field's small size (smallest of all MCPS schools) and the large student population using it, as well as it's hard-packed composition."
If these are really the barriers to natural grass, why not direct after-school soccer practices etc to other facilities? It seems silly to make everyone pay for this field which may have health and environmental liabilities, if the heavy use of the field could lessened.
And with a budget of $550,000 (!) is there really nothing to be done about "hard packed composition" of soil?
I would love to hear from this on people who actually are familiar with the issues. We are new to the school community and think this effort sounds crazy, but would love to know more.

They're not making anyone pay, though. If you want to donate to the Somerset Foundation (!), you may; if not, you don't have to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question about this, for people in the Somerset community with knowledge of this issue: I just saw the letter that was sent around about the logic for this move, and it states that past efforts to reseed and even resod the field have been unsuccessful, and the grass has died "due to the field's small size (smallest of all MCPS schools) and the large student population using it, as well as it's hard-packed composition."
If these are really the barriers to natural grass, why not direct after-school soccer practices etc to other facilities? It seems silly to make everyone pay for this field which may have health and environmental liabilities, if the heavy use of the field could lessened.
And with a budget of $550,000 (!) is there really nothing to be done about "hard packed composition" of soil?
I would love to hear from this on people who actually are familiar with the issues. We are new to the school community and think this effort sounds crazy, but would love to know more.

What on earth is the point of having a field at an elementary school if after-school functions are redirected to a different facility? What you are describing is a school with a really nice lawn, no field, and kids who have to be schlepped all over the place for after-school activities. That's a step backwards.

Well, I guess that describes the elementary school I went to, then. It had a crappy lawn, and nobody played soccer there after school. Soccer was at a nearby park. It was not the end of the world. This was in a very fancy school district, by the way. I guess we just didn't know any better, because we thought it was fine!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question about this, for people in the Somerset community with knowledge of this issue: I just saw the letter that was sent around about the logic for this move, and it states that past efforts to reseed and even resod the field have been unsuccessful, and the grass has died "due to the field's small size (smallest of all MCPS schools) and the large student population using it, as well as it's hard-packed composition."
If these are really the barriers to natural grass, why not direct after-school soccer practices etc to other facilities? It seems silly to make everyone pay for this field which may have health and environmental liabilities, if the heavy use of the field could lessened.
And with a budget of $550,000 (!) is there really nothing to be done about "hard packed composition" of soil?
I would love to hear from this on people who actually are familiar with the issues. We are new to the school community and think this effort sounds crazy, but would love to know more.

They're not making anyone pay, though. If you want to donate to the Somerset Foundation (!), you may; if not, you don't have to.

As a member of the community I might think that a major fundraising effort could be directed at something else.

If there are health issues (turf "bugs" being toxic; offgassing) that's certainly my business as a parent.

And if there are environmental consequences (runoff issues, etc) that is my business as a community member.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

As a member of the community I might think that a major fundraising effort could be directed at something else.

If there are health issues (turf "bugs" being toxic; offgassing) that's certainly my business as a parent.

And if there are environmental consequences (runoff issues, etc) that is my business as a community member.

Then you should undertake a major fundraising effort directed at the thing you want a major fundraising effort directed to. That's how it works: you contribute to/fundraise for the things you want to contribute to/fundraise for, and other people contribute to/fundraise for the things they want to contribute to/fundraise for.

Or, if you want to counter the fundraising effort for the artificial turf field by telling people that you don't think they should contribute because [reasons], then you may do that, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

As a member of the community I might think that a major fundraising effort could be directed at something else.

If there are health issues (turf "bugs" being toxic; offgassing) that's certainly my business as a parent.

And if there are environmental consequences (runoff issues, etc) that is my business as a community member.

Then you should undertake a major fundraising effort directed at the thing you want a major fundraising effort directed to. That's how it works: you contribute to/fundraise for the things you want to contribute to/fundraise for, and other people contribute to/fundraise for the things they want to contribute to/fundraise for.

Or, if you want to counter the fundraising effort for the artificial turf field by telling people that you don't think they should contribute because [reasons], then you may do that, too.

Why the nastiness? As I just said, I'm new to this community and trying to get myself informed on this issue. I'm certainly grateful to people who generously donate their time and money to the community. And maybe I WILL direct a major fundraising effort on some other issue at some point! But for now I'm trying to understand this one. You seem to be expressing the attitude that only people who donate big $$$ have the right to an opinion on things that may involve the health and safety of ALL children at the school, not just donor children. Not to mention the local ecosystem. Maybe I'm misreading you, though--apologies if so!

[Anonymous]

The butlers will be mobilized to ferry the children to the nearest organic grass field.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The butlers will be mobilized to ferry the children to the nearest organic grass field.

Seriously, I am opposed to this field and not because I think my kids are too fancy for it. The field is too fancy for my children. Full stop.