November 23, 2006 Issue                                       

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©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

Mt. Airy public school champions called ‘Heroes’
by AUDREY LEVINE

Mt. Airy residents Nancy and Kevin Peter (left), fierce advocates of public education, receive their “Heroes” award from Gregory Davis, founder and managing partner of the Davis Financial Group in Philadelphia who also co-chairs the Mt. Airy Schools Committee.

Nancy Peter, 50, and husband, Kevin, 42, Mt. Airy residents, are heroes in their own home town, having been recognized by receiving the Local Heroes Award from the Bank of America for their work promoting the benefits of a public school education.

“We have a selfish and selfless agenda,” Mrs. Peter said. “We have the opportunity here to work from the inside out.”

For five years now, the couple have been running a program in their home on Arbutus Street that aims to tell others about what a public school can offer their children. Ms. Peter said they discuss such topics as class sizes, safety, available resources and the academics of the school.

“We try to dispel the myths that people have about public school,” she said, “and we try to be honest about the shortcomings.”

The couple focuses on the C.W. Henry School in Mt. Airy because their eight-year-old son Ben is a student there. “We were looking for a school and saw Henry as a good one,” said Mrs. Peter, who grew up in Mt. Airy and attended Henry School herself as a child, “but most people we knew sent their kids to private schools.”

The Local Heroes Award, which was presented Nov. 15 at the Downtown Club on Chestnut Street, is given to five different people or groups who are recognized for their commitment to an aspect of the Philadelphia community. Mr. and Mrs. Peter received $5,000 to contribute to a non-profit organization of their choice.

Mrs. Peter said the money will go to West Mt. Airy Neighbors, a non-profit organization that supports the school system and the community itself. The money will be used to benefit the Henry School. “West Mt. Airy Neighbors is a volunteer organization that truly enhances the quality of life in this community,” she said.

Three different people nominated the Peters, but the nomination by Henry School principal Caren Trantas was the most influential. “I will admit we wanted the award because we wanted to draw attention to the work that we do,” Mrs. Peter said. “We wanted to show that public school is a viable option.”

Periodic meetings held at the Peters’ household serve as family-to-family sessions in which people can express their concerns about public schools. The meetings are held once a month, and Mrs. Peter sometimes invites guest speakers who can respond to questions and concerns about public schools. The last meeting, which was held Nov. 20, featured Trantas, who answered specific questions about the Henry School. Mrs. Peter has also invited Henry School teachers to past meetings.

The primary goal of the sessions is simply to recruit one family at a time to switch to public school by emphasizing that children can get a quality education there. “We don’t see the children suffering because of going to public school,” she said. “We try to emphasize the benefits. There is a strong sense of community, cooperation, patience and tolerance.”

According to the nomination that won them the award, many families who have switched their children to public school have contributed financially to Henry, giving grants to improve the music program, creating art projects and sponsoring field trips, among other worthwhile donations.

In addition to their work on behalf of Henry School are efforts to help the community in other ways. Mrs. Peter is director of the Out-of-School-Time Resource Center at the University of Pennsylvania. There, she supports staff members who work in after-school and youth development programs.

Mr. Peter is the vice-president of Community Relations at the Metropolitan Career Center in Germantown. His position gives him the opportunity to help train adults who are re-entering the work force. He also keeps a web log in which he documents his and his wife’s work. In addition, the couple publicizes their meetings with fliers, newspaper ads and other forms of advertising.

“We feel we deserve the award,” Mrs. Peter said. “We want to help enrich the school.”