These kids need it. I struggle with many internal issues and swimming has been an escape for me, just imagine what it is for the kids at lab who have struggles of their own. Don't strip these kids of their chance at happiness.
G
Griz dwight
9 years ago
Keep the pool!
D
David Orlic
9 years ago
Please don't close the pool! It brings nothing but goodness to the school, the community, and the young swimmers whose lives it enriches so immensely. And let's not forget the livelihoods of the excellent lifeguards.
A
Anonymous
9 years ago
As a neighbor, my family has made frequent use of the pool. This would be a big loss to the community!
C
Cristina Del Sesto
9 years ago
The Lab Pool is valued by Sea Devils Swim Team and MVP Dolphins Swim Team!!! Hundreds of kids and families are familiar with Lab School because of it and the pool has made Lab a part of the community.
C
Cheryl Ryan
9 years ago
This would be big loss to community.
D
Dipali B Mehta
9 years ago
The pool is a valued community asset - please do not eliminate it!
V
Victoria Husband
9 years ago
It's a great pool!
G
Gina Price
9 years ago
Pool space is limited in DC, we need this space
C
Claudia meer
9 years ago
Please keep your pool! Other schools wish they had one. It's a huge resource
K
Karolina Popovicova
9 years ago
Kids I used to babysit love the pool, and I enjoy watching them swim at the LAB school. Please keep the pool so I can watch them swim and getting stronger/better at what they love to do.
Thank you
Karolina
M
Megan La Belle
9 years ago
The Lab School's pool is a wonderful resource for the school and broader community. I don't have children at Lab, so I will let others who do speak to the benefits it provides that community. However, as the parent of two competitive swimmers, we use the Lab School pool year round. Very few schools have a pool, so the pool sets Lab apart. The pool brings people together as a community on the Lab campus in a way that otherwise wouldn't happen. Indoor pool space in this area is precious. Young children like mine get up at 4:30 in the morning just so they can go swimming at the Lab pool. There's simply not enough pool space in this town for all the kids who want to swim. Swimming is a wonderful, life-long sport that we, as a community, should be encouraging our children to participate in, not making it difficult if not impossible. While I understand that Lab feels it needs a larger theater, my family and I plead with the school administration to consider other options. There are numerous theaters in Northwest DC, but there are only a few pools. Please think very seriously about this decision, which would impact the community--both inside and outside of the school-- in a negative way.
C
Claire Quirke
9 years ago
There should definitely be a forum to discuss this.
D
Dee Beshouri
9 years ago
Featured
Our daughter (now 18) learned to swim at this pool and we still use the pool to keep in shape. A theater production can be shown in all sorts of venues. There is no replacement for the pool. Please reconsider.
B
Barbara Elsas
9 years ago
I agree with the remarks in this petition. we need a lot of answers to the questions you raise..There is a meeting on March 14 at 6 pm in the library of the Foxhall campus..this is a meeting to discuss concerns of the community . we could begin by attending this meeting and you could write to the director as well with your concerns..Let's save this valuable resource!!
P
Patricia Fox
9 years ago
The Lab School has made the pool progressively less available to the community so to complain that it is underused is disingenuous.
S
Steve Waller
9 years ago
The petition states the issue clearly: if the students aren't using the pool, which is uniquely valuable for them in the era of a childhood obesity epidemic, then the problem is scheduling and oversight, not lack of interest. That's what we have school administrators and parents for! Give them the time and coaching to make it happen.
The pool is a priceless school asset, as well as a community asset. I hope the school will reconsider their priorities, and focus back on health and lifelong skills for the students and the neighborhood.
M
Marsha Pearcy
9 years ago
This is very disappointing to us. Sophie is a senior, so we feel profoundly lucky that she was able to enjoy the pool for all her years at lab.
Indeed, the pool was part of the draw to Lab for us. Sophie started doing Sea Devils at the Lab Pool as an extracurricular activity in 1st grade! The pool made such an impression on us as it does so many people in the community.
1) We believe it is a contribution to the community, one of the few things we can actually do for it in return for their having yet another school in the neighborhood. It’s marketing for us.
2) Further, we believed, and still do, the research about the importance of exercise, and particularly exercise that provides sensory stimulation for LD kids, and the “crossing of the mid-line”. Who knows if our daughter would have matured as she has, if she had not consistently swum all these year.
3) We believe that encouraging swimming is one of the few “life sports” a child can have – not so easy with Lacrosse, Football, Soccer, etc. Sophie can actually go to college, and swim on the club team, or she can go by herself and work out at the pool, because it is familiar territory to her.
4) We also wonder about the Cafritz Foundation, which we think funded the pool. How would they feel about this? What does it say to major donors, when we essentially say, “we want your money for a pool,… oh but, now we want a theater, so we are going to tear it down”?
5) We feel that the Athletic department and has not always found creative ways to include swimming in the curriculum. Kids are lucky, if they are not on the team, if they get just a small bit of time in PE. Why not have before school free swim? after school free swim? year round club swim and practice? swim as an elective all through school? why not use the pool to have an elective that certifies kids as life guards? why not have it as a goal, that all kids that go to Lab can swim a mile?…the list goes on,
6) One of the things that di
L
Liz Blumenfeld
9 years ago
I think the pool is a great but seriously underutilized asset, which is a real shame. If it is going to be removed, I would urge the school to consider using the space for athletic purposes, rather than a theatre. Kids with ADHD and other disabilities must have exercise and the school has not been able to provide that adequately with its current space. I know for a fact that this has not been good for my son with respect to his focus, interest in active endeavors, etc. Please consider putting this project on hold so that you can receive input from all interested stakeholders.
M
Madison Hardimon
9 years ago
I spent many mornings in this pool and i think it is important to the community
These kids need it. I struggle with many internal issues and swimming has been an escape for me, just imagine what it is for the kids at lab who have struggles of their own. Don't strip these kids of their chance at happiness.
Keep the pool!
Please don't close the pool! It brings nothing but goodness to the school, the community, and the young swimmers whose lives it enriches so immensely. And let's not forget the livelihoods of the excellent lifeguards.
As a neighbor, my family has made frequent use of the pool. This would be a big loss to the community!
The Lab Pool is valued by Sea Devils Swim Team and MVP Dolphins Swim Team!!! Hundreds of kids and families are familiar with Lab School because of it and the pool has made Lab a part of the community.
This would be big loss to community.
The pool is a valued community asset - please do not eliminate it!
It's a great pool!
Pool space is limited in DC, we need this space
Please keep your pool! Other schools wish they had one. It's a huge resource
Kids I used to babysit love the pool, and I enjoy watching them swim at the LAB school. Please keep the pool so I can watch them swim and getting stronger/better at what they love to do. Thank you Karolina
The Lab School's pool is a wonderful resource for the school and broader community. I don't have children at Lab, so I will let others who do speak to the benefits it provides that community. However, as the parent of two competitive swimmers, we use the Lab School pool year round. Very few schools have a pool, so the pool sets Lab apart. The pool brings people together as a community on the Lab campus in a way that otherwise wouldn't happen. Indoor pool space in this area is precious. Young children like mine get up at 4:30 in the morning just so they can go swimming at the Lab pool. There's simply not enough pool space in this town for all the kids who want to swim. Swimming is a wonderful, life-long sport that we, as a community, should be encouraging our children to participate in, not making it difficult if not impossible. While I understand that Lab feels it needs a larger theater, my family and I plead with the school administration to consider other options. There are numerous theaters in Northwest DC, but there are only a few pools. Please think very seriously about this decision, which would impact the community--both inside and outside of the school-- in a negative way.
There should definitely be a forum to discuss this.
Our daughter (now 18) learned to swim at this pool and we still use the pool to keep in shape. A theater production can be shown in all sorts of venues. There is no replacement for the pool. Please reconsider.
I agree with the remarks in this petition. we need a lot of answers to the questions you raise..There is a meeting on March 14 at 6 pm in the library of the Foxhall campus..this is a meeting to discuss concerns of the community . we could begin by attending this meeting and you could write to the director as well with your concerns..Let's save this valuable resource!!
The Lab School has made the pool progressively less available to the community so to complain that it is underused is disingenuous.
The petition states the issue clearly: if the students aren't using the pool, which is uniquely valuable for them in the era of a childhood obesity epidemic, then the problem is scheduling and oversight, not lack of interest. That's what we have school administrators and parents for! Give them the time and coaching to make it happen. The pool is a priceless school asset, as well as a community asset. I hope the school will reconsider their priorities, and focus back on health and lifelong skills for the students and the neighborhood.
This is very disappointing to us. Sophie is a senior, so we feel profoundly lucky that she was able to enjoy the pool for all her years at lab. Indeed, the pool was part of the draw to Lab for us. Sophie started doing Sea Devils at the Lab Pool as an extracurricular activity in 1st grade! The pool made such an impression on us as it does so many people in the community. 1) We believe it is a contribution to the community, one of the few things we can actually do for it in return for their having yet another school in the neighborhood. It’s marketing for us. 2) Further, we believed, and still do, the research about the importance of exercise, and particularly exercise that provides sensory stimulation for LD kids, and the “crossing of the mid-line”. Who knows if our daughter would have matured as she has, if she had not consistently swum all these year. 3) We believe that encouraging swimming is one of the few “life sports” a child can have – not so easy with Lacrosse, Football, Soccer, etc. Sophie can actually go to college, and swim on the club team, or she can go by herself and work out at the pool, because it is familiar territory to her. 4) We also wonder about the Cafritz Foundation, which we think funded the pool. How would they feel about this? What does it say to major donors, when we essentially say, “we want your money for a pool,… oh but, now we want a theater, so we are going to tear it down”? 5) We feel that the Athletic department and has not always found creative ways to include swimming in the curriculum. Kids are lucky, if they are not on the team, if they get just a small bit of time in PE. Why not have before school free swim? after school free swim? year round club swim and practice? swim as an elective all through school? why not use the pool to have an elective that certifies kids as life guards? why not have it as a goal, that all kids that go to Lab can swim a mile?…the list goes on, 6) One of the things that di
I think the pool is a great but seriously underutilized asset, which is a real shame. If it is going to be removed, I would urge the school to consider using the space for athletic purposes, rather than a theatre. Kids with ADHD and other disabilities must have exercise and the school has not been able to provide that adequately with its current space. I know for a fact that this has not been good for my son with respect to his focus, interest in active endeavors, etc. Please consider putting this project on hold so that you can receive input from all interested stakeholders.
I spent many mornings in this pool and i think it is important to the community