CANFIELD Group donates sign for middle school

The PTO also donated six new benches to the school.
By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- Having trouble finding Canfield Village Middle School? Just look for the big red sign.
The sign -- a gift from the Canfield Schools Parent-Teacher Organization -- stands in front of the mostly unremarkable brown stone school on Wadsworth Street.
At the top of the 50 square-foot sign, in white letters, is the name of the school. The rest of the sign serves as a space for pupils and administrators to list school activities.
School maintenance workers installed the sign and six new metal benches in front of the school in September. The benches, which also were gifts from the PTO, line the right side of the concrete walkway that leads to the school's front doors.
Deanna Gray, a PTO member, said she recently talked to a Canfield mother who couldn't find the school -- until she saw the sign.
"That was the only way she got to the school," Gray said.
Reaction: Principal Ron Infante said pupils seem to enjoy having the sign outside of their school.
"They like it because it highlights our school," he said.
He added that the sign also helps school officials keep in touch with village residents. Communication with residents was cited as the main issue facing the district by all but one of the nine candidates that ran for school board this year.
"That's the biggest reason behind the sign, to keep our community updated," said PTO member Terri Wagner. Infante added, "It shows we want communication with the public. It's a visible sign of partnership. That's a nice service for our community."
Student council members are responsible for updating the activities listed on the sign each Monday.
Benches: Wagner said the sign and the benches also represent the PTO's continued efforts to improve the school district. Last year's PTO administration decided to donate the sign and benches as a permanent reminder of those efforts, she said.
Before the new benches were installed, the right side of the walkway to the school doors was lined with wooden benches that Wagner described as "outdated" and "rickety."
The new benches are 6 feet long and made of a recycled metal that is described as indestructible.
The PTO has about 800 members, including school board members, school administrators, parents and teachers.
PTO President Lindy Baker stressed that the Canfield community helped pay for the sign through fund-raisers. PTO members would not say how much the sign cost.
"We couldn't have done it without the support of everyone in the community," Baker said.
The sign replaced a brown marker that identified the school. The original marker was installed in the mid-1980s. Infante said the school administration had thought about replacing the marker for several years.
hill@vindy.com