June 3, 2021
MEDIA ADVISORY
Encanto Community, District and City Leaders to Celebrate New School and Community Field at Horton Elementary
WHAT:
Board of Education Vice President Dr. Sharon Whitehurst-Payne will join City of San Diego Councilmember Monica Montgomery Steppe and the Encanto community in celebrating a new joint-use field at Horton Elementary School.
WHEN:
Friday, June 4, 2021
1-2 p.m.
WHERE:
Horton Elementary School
5050 Guymon St, San Diego, CA 92102
VISUALS:
1- 1:20 p.m. - Speakers
1:20- 1:30 p.m. - Countdown and Ribbon-Cutting 1:30- 1:40 p.m. - Student Celebratory Run
1:40- 2 p.m. - Photo Opps, Media Interviews
Drone Video and Stills of the Horton Elementary Joint-Use Field
Previous Photo of the Horton Elementary Joint-Use Field Groundbreaking
GUEST INTERVIEWS:
Dr. Sharon Whitehurst-Payne, Board of Education Vice President, San Diego Unified
Monica Montgomery Steppe, District 4 Councilmember, City of San Diego
Lee Dulgeroff, Chief Facilities Planning and Construction Officer, San Diego Unified
Danielle Garegnani, Principal, Horton Elementary School
Staci Dent, Former Principal of Horton Elementary School
Ardelle Matthews, Chair, Chollas View Community Council
PROJECT OVERVIEW:
The Horton Elementary joint-use park includes a grass playfield, a walking/running path, a drinking fountain, security gates and fencing. Hardcourts and a play structure are included in the joint-use area. Dedicated parking is provided in the existing parking lot.
A space for community art is also integrated into the project. The Urban Collaborative Project, a local effort to beautify urban communities, painted the
exterior ramp facing the community with a beautiful mural.
BACKGROUND:
Local Bond Propositions
San Diego Unified’s capital projects are funded by San Diego Unified School District’s Propositions S, Z and Measure YY, which are local bond measures approved by San Diego voters to repair, renovate and revitalize neighborhood schools. The City of San Diego contributes some design and construction funds and will operate and maintain the joint-use facilities.
Play All Day Parks Program
As part of the Play All Day partnership with the City of San Diego, the joint-use field will be accessible to the community as a local park after school hours and during school breaks. You can read more about the initiative here.
Community Advocates Dr. Bob Matthews and Ardelle Matthews
A well-respected leader in the Chollas View community, Dr. Bob Matthews used his education, leadership and influence to better the community. A resident of Chollas View, Matthews and his wife, Ardelle Matthews, worked for San Diego Unified; Dr. Matthews as the Horton Elementary principal, and Mrs. Matthews as a school teacher for O’Farrell School of Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA), now known as SCPA.
Mrs. Matthews and other active community members supported the Horton Elementary Joint-Use field project and have worked alongside city and district leaders for it to come to fruition. Mrs. Matthews now leads the Chollas View Community Council for the City of San Diego’s Council District 4, in which Horton Elementary is situated. The council played a role in moving the field forward.
While Mr. Matthews recently passed away, Mrs. Matthews will attend and speak at the ribbon-cutting ceremony on behalf of the community and Mr. Matthews.
RELATED LINKS:
Union-Tribune: Bob Matthews, a lifelong educator, civil rights activist and icon in San Diego, dies at 90
PARKING:
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Jamie Ries, San Diego Unified Facilities Communication Liaison 619-855-9283; jries@sandi.net.
Tim Graham, City of San Diego Communications, 619-253-9197,TGraham@sandiego.gov.
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