MEDIA ADVISORY FROM SAN DIEGO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT -- Tuesday, March 22, 2016
CONTACT: Cynthia Reed-Porter at 619-546-3378 or creed-porter@sandi.net
Superintendent Marten, Mayor Faulconer to Unlock First of 30 New Joint-Use Parks: Mayor's “Play All Day” Initiative with San Diego Unified School District Begins with Opening of Wegeforth Elementary School Joint-Use Park
WHAT: Dedication Ceremony for Wegeforth Elementary School Joint-use Park and Kickoff for Play All Day Initiative -- Working together to help build better communities for San Diego families and children, San Diego Unified School District’s Superintendent City Marten will team up with Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer to ceremoniously unlock the first joint-use “Play All Day” park at Wegeforth Elementary School in the Serra Mesa Community.
WHEN: Wednesday, March 23, 2016 at 10:30 a.m.
WHERE: Wegeforth Elementary School, 9020 Village Glen Dr., San Diego, CA 92123 -- On-site parking will be available for media. A map is available upon request.
WHO:
Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer, City of San Diego
Superintendent Cindy Marten, San Diego Unified School District
Councilmember Scott Sherman, City of San Diego
Kevin Beiser, Trustee, San Diego Unified School District Board of Education
Lori Sandoval, Principal, Wegeforth Elementary School
Andres Cadena, Student Council President, Wegeforth Elementary School
VISUALS: Following news conference remarks, Mayor Faulconer and Superintendent Marten will ceremoniously unlock the park gates, allowing students from Wegeforth Elementary to rush through and participate in exercise stations in the upgraded school park. The students will demonstrate how they will be using the new field, participating their physical fitness circuit training.
INTERVIEWS: Superintendent Cindy Marten, San Diego Unified School District; Trustee Kevin Beiser, San Diego Unified School District Board of Education; Principal Lori Sandoval, Wegeforth Elementary School; and
Student Council President Andres Cadena, Wegeforth Elementary School will be available to answer questions after the ceremony. (Spanish interviews available.)
BACKGROUND: During his State of the City address in January, Mayor Faulconer announced an initiative to break ground or upgrade 50 parks over the next 5 years. 30 of these parks will be shared city/school parks that remain open for community residents after the school day ends. The partnership between the City of San Diego and San Diego Unified School District fills an essential gap in addressing the need for more park land and additional recreational resources for San Diego families. As the first of many parks under the Play All Day partnership, the upgraded park at Wegeforth Elementary opens with $3.2 million in improvements including a turfed sports field, running track, designated parking area, security lighting and more.
The City of San Diego and San Diego Unified School District have been cooperating in the development of numerous recreational facilities for more than 60 years. This collaborative effort aims to increase park space to meet community recreational needs by utilizing joint-use facilities at district schools. To date, more than 280 acres of school district property are joint-use fields/parks. This project supports the city’s pledge to increase the number of parks in the communities it serves. The district benefits from the access this project provides for students and staff to use the newly designed and constructed park facilities for school activities.
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Cynthia Reed-Porter, communications supervisor l Communications Office l San Diego Unified School District
Mobile phone: 619-546-3378 l E-mail: creed-porter@sandi.net