22
funding that fall. By April 2010 we were taking bids
with an astonished FAA representative who soon
realized that the total would surpass $24 million. She
gulped and we shrugged our shoulders.
Eventually, the total grant for sound insulation
would surpass $28 million and construction would
take more than two years to complete. In June of
2013, Ridgewood hosted a “Sound of Silence”
celebration to showcase the $68 million in
renovations that have taken place in the last six
years. We are astonished to have achieved this
against all odds. In my short speech at the time of
the celebration I thanked all of the people who had
brought us to that moment, but reserved my greatest
praise for Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, who
refused to let us give up.
I had the privilege to witness firsthand what a
member of the United States Congress can achieve
when dedicated to a cause. It was a stark lesson in
politics and power. I would urge you to remember
our story when you are asked to contact your
representatives in Springfield and Washington.
Building that relationship is crucial.
I had been going to meetings and symposiums
chaired by Rep. Schakowsky for several years before
the events recounted above. We had met on several
occasions with her aides on a variety of topics. They
had called on us to support some of her causes and
attend some of her functions. So, when we called on
her office for assistance, her aides knew us by name
and could speak intelligently about our situation.
Even though we were by far the smallest school in
her district, tucked away in a corner of her district that
usually votes Republican, she could associate names
with faces and causes. This made all the difference
in the world.
(Continued from page 21)
“I had the privilege to
witness firsthand what a
member of the United
States
Congress
can
achieve when dedicated to
a cause. It was a stark
lesson in politics and
power. I would urge you to
remember our story when
you are asked to contact
your representatives in
Springfield and Washington. Building that
relationship is crucial.
I had been going to meetings and
symposiums chaired by Rep. Schakowsky
for several years before the events
recounted above. We had met on several
occasions with her aids on a variety of
topics. They had called on us to support
some of her causes and attend some of her
functions. So, when we called on her office
for assistance, her aides knew us by name
and could speak intelligently about our
situation. Even though we were by far the
smallest school in her district, tucked away in
a corner of her district that usually votes
Republican, she could associate names with
faces and causes. This made all the
difference in the world. “
—Dr. Robert Lupo, Superintendent of
Ridgewood Community 234
Congresswoman
Jan Schakowsky
