By Marianne Bursi
Principal
Explorer Middle School
Explorer Middle School’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math signature program attracts students from all corners of the valley creating new traffic challenges for this Arizona Excelling School, rated an “A” on the state’s new labeling system and a “10” on Greatschools.net.
Just eight years ago, Explorer’s enrollment was approximately 500 students and was considered a traditional middle school in the valley. Today, this cutting-edge technology school has attracted over 400 students on Open Enrollment for the 2012-2013 school year, approximately 50% of the school’s total enrollment of 800 students. Open enrolled families are responsible for transporting their students to and from school each day, which creates a tremendous amount of traffic in the school parking lots and adjacent streets and neighborhoods.
The Saguaro Blossom neighborhood, which is located directly north of the school, has been impacted the most by the swelling traffic challenges at Explorer. Understandably, the residents of Saguaro Blossom expressed their safety concerns to the school about the high volume of traffic coming in and out of the neighborhood each day, and proposed a variety of suggestions for the school district to consider.
Following a series of meetings with representatives from Explorer, the Paradise Valley Unified School District, Saguaro Blossom neighborhood, Desert Ridge Community Association, City of Phoenix, Phoenix Police Department, and ADM Group architects, a comprehensive plan was developed by district architects and approved by the committee.
The plan increases the parking available for parent drop-off and pick-up at the school. New signs posted by the City of Phoenix will restrict any cars from parking, stopping, or standing along the streets in the Saguaro Blossom neighborhood during the peak start and end times of the school day. The comprehensive plan includes moving the bus loading zone from the west side of the school to the south parking lot, which was the original bus loading zone when the school was built in 1997. The extensive driveway area west of the school will be transformed over the summer by the school district’s facilities department into a two-lane drop-off pick-up zone, similar to the system designed efficiently at airports. The north parking lot will continue to be used as an additional area for student drop-off and pick-up.
The Paradise Valley Unified School District is funding the improvements to the school campus and Explorer’s school administration and staff fully support the plan and are both optimistic and confident that the improvements will completely eliminate the need to use the Saguaro Blossom neighborhood as a drop-off and pick-up location.
The school will be providing extensive communication to incoming seventh and eighth graders and their parents about the new comprehensive plans to relieve traffic congestion during the peak drop-off and pick-up times at the school, and to make parents aware that the Saguaro Blossom neighborhood is no longer to be used for student drop-off and pick-up.
A new beginning to the school year will require everyone to get on board with the new parking changes. Change calls for positive attitudes and patience that support the cooperative partnership formed between Explorer Middle School and the residents of the Saguaro Blossom community. New parking habits and fresh attitudes will replace old patterns of behavior and together we can all join Explorer MS in excelling in one more area of accomplishment.
