On Friday, June 8, 2018, community clean water groups, including the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership, gathered with teachers and school leaders at McKinley Elementary School to celebrate the completion of stream restoration along the East Branch of the Jenkintown Creek, situated just behind the school’s soccer fields in Elkins Park. The ribbon-cutting marked the completion of an interconnected web of clean water projects that make the school and surrounding community greener and more wildlife-rich. Built largely with volunteer and community groups, the project was underwritten by the William Penn Foundation as part of the Delaware River Watershed Initiative, designed to improve water quality around the Delaware River basin.
Dr. Amy Sichel, Superintendent of Schools, as well as Dr. Marie Kim, McKinley Principal, were on site to help cut the ribbon alongside the community partners, and the school’s Roots and Shoots Club, led by Ms. Jennifer Tanay, also had the opportunity to share more about how they use the stream restoration as an environmental educational tool for hands-on learning.