Early learning centers see big impact from 'Love Our Schools Day'

By Stacy Mantle
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By midmorning Saturday, families, educators, students and volunteers will gather across Valley campuses to repaint tables, build sensory pathways, refresh gardens and reorganize student spaces — simple acts of service that represent some of Arizona’s strongest community-school partnerships in action.

The effort is part of School Connect’s annual Love Our Schools Day, which has expanded from a small, one-day experiment to a multi-week statewide volunteer season each October and November. 

“Love Our Schools Day began almost 12 years ago with a small group of Arizona leaders asking the question, ‘How can we make a difference at local schools for Arizona youth?’” said Shea Duryea, School Connect’s director of community relations. “We wanted to use the power of community to meet the needs of students and families and Love Our Schools Day was born out of this vision.”

Today, volunteers complete projects that range from painting classrooms to stocking food pantries.

“These simple acts of kindness send a clear message to school leaders that we believe in the work they are doing and they are not alone,” Duryea said.

As participation grew, the event expanded into a full season. “What started out as a single day with multiple projects around the Valley turned into an annual Love Our Schools Day season with schools across Arizona hosting projects every Saturday,” she said. “It is a powerful reminder of what is possible when we all work together.”

Duryea said the campaign directly reflects School Connect’s mission to build a “village” around every campus.

“Simple acts of kindness build trust, create partnerships for local schools, and move leaders to act on behalf of Arizona youth — often becoming advocates for Arizona education,” she said.

Targeting urgent needs

Schools across the state continue reporting chronic absenteeism and a growing need for hands-on learning experiences that spark imagination and broaden career awareness.

“Student attendance has not recovered since the pandemic,” Duryea said. “Bright, engaging environments and hands-on learning opportunities give children a positive pathway toward education.”

She noted many of this season’s projects — sensory walks, painted sidewalk games, STEM-focused hangout spaces and gardens — are designed to support student engagement and early learning.

“The beauty of Love Our Schools Day is that projects can be designed to support the specific goals and needs of a school,” she said.

At Greenway Middle School in Paradise Valley, volunteers repainted ramada-area tables and completed campus cleanups — work  Principal Matt Lersch said holds deep meaning in today’s education climate.

“Love Our Schools at Greenway provided an opportunity for students, parents, teachers and community partners to gather, work together, and focus on ways the campus can be improved for our wonderful students,” Lersch said. “It gave GMS the chance to connect all stakeholders together at one time for the betterment of the campus.”

Lersch said the effort helped students and staff feel seen.

“It also shows our students and staff the large number of people supporting them each day while they are working hard in the classroom,” he said. “Public education is a community effort. When staff and students know they are supported by the community, they are more likely to put in the effort to be great!”

He added that the project was a visible reflection of the school’s academic turnaround.

“Painting the tables in our ramada area and cleaning the campus is a visual way to represent the improvements of GMS over the last five years,” he said. “Greenway has grown to the level of a ‘B’ letter grade through the hard work of many stakeholders. This event showed the power of everyone working to achieve one goal. Greenway’s culture of achievement will continue to be our focus as we pursue an ‘A’ letter grade.”

At Faith North Early Childhood Learning Center in central Phoenix, volunteers and early-learning experts designed a sensory walk tailored to young learners and students with disabilities. Duryea said volunteers from Childsplay Theatre, ASU and Advanced Autism Services helped maximize developmental benefits by designing bright, playful pathways that support motor skills, balance and sensory regulation.

Business partners amplify the impact

Corporate partners continue to play a central role in Love Our Schools Day. John Dowd, director of community engagement for CORE Construction Arizona and a School Connect board member, said the experience strengthens communities as well as company culture.

“These partnerships mean everything — they deepen our purpose as a company and strengthen the relationships that connect us so closely to our communities,” Dowd said. “Meaningful impact isn’t created by one big gesture, but by many small actions coming together.”

Dowd said CORE employees bring the same level of craftsmanship and care to volunteer projects that they bring to construction sites.

“Our employees don’t just volunteer their time — they bring the same craftsmanship, teamwork and genuine care to these campuses and communities that they bring to every project we build," he said. "You’ll find employees from all roles working shoulder-to-shoulder, living out our belief that servant leadership is one of the most meaningful traits we can embody.”

The experience also shapes leadership development, Dowd said.

“After serving others through Love Our Schools Day, employees often return with a renewed sense of pride and purpose,” he said. “We are cultivating leaders who understand that building strong public schools ultimately builds strong, thriving communities.”

A model for long-term engagement

Duryea said the statewide expansion of Love Our Schools Day demonstrates the power of collaboration — and the ongoing commitment to supporting school environments that boost attendance, academic growth and student well-being.

For many schools, Saturday’s efforts will not be a finish line, but a starting point for year-round support. For students arriving Monday to freshly painted tables, bright sensory pathways or newly organized spaces, the message will be clear: their community is rooting for them.

Editor’s note: A grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation made this story possible. The foundation awarded 15 newsrooms to pay for solutions-focused education reporters for two years. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.

Stacy Mantle
Education Solutions Reporter

smantle@iniusa.org

Meet Stacy
Stacy Mantle is joining the team at Independent Newsmedia, Inc. as an Education Solutions journalist, thanks to a grant from the Arizona Community Collaborative. She has a long history in education that ranges from teaching junior high and middle school to developing curriculum and standards-based assessments.

Community: A longtime advocate for animal welfare, Stacy is deeply involved in rescue efforts and volunteers with several nonprofit organizations.

Random Fact: Once upon a time, she shared her home with a pet coyote and two wolf hybrids. The experiences were wild enough to become the subject of her first book!

Education: She holds a BA in English with a minor in Political Science, a Post-baccalaureate in Secondary Education, and an MBA with a emphasis on Marketing.

Hobbies: In her spare time, Stacy writes fast-paced urban fantasy novels, crafts small-batch artisan soap, and is always up for hiking or off-roading through the Arizona wilderness with her husband of 23 years.