Polk is backbone neighborhood, city

Polk Elementary School is dear to my heart and has been for more than 10 years. I volunteered there so much as a Coe College student that in 2004 the Cedar Rapids Community School District made me the district volunteer of the year.

Since that time, I have had children. Through second grade, my oldest son went to school on the west side of town where I didn't feel supported and his progress was sub par. I decided to move to the east side because I wanted to enroll him at Polk. I drove my son back and forth to Polk every day, knowing that this was where his love for learning would begin.

Now in fifth grade, he's no longer on an academic Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or has “behavior” issues. In fact, he's a Polk ambassador and a PACT program student. I'm proud of my son for his hard work, but without the support of teachers and staff, it wouldn't have been possible. He loves learning and school, but most importantly he loves Polk.

I'm a social worker in Linn County and work with nearly all of the schools here. I wanted Polk for my children because of its diversity, its support of students and their families, the teachers, the year-round calendar, the neighborhood, the community partnerships, and the success it has worked hard to achieve. Polk is more than a neighborhood school. It's a backbone for the neighborhood, the students, their families and the city.

Cassie Mitvalsky

Cedar Rapids