Why 2,500 Tennis Balls Prove What Wrightstown Elementary Means To the Community

What do thousands of tennis balls have to do with loyalty and devotion to a community’s educational and social hub?

Plenty, according to Wrightstown Elementary School families.

The Wrightstown community, rattled after a district proposal suggested closing their elementary school, have sprung into action to show their devotion to what many residents say is not just an educational but also social hub within the rural township.

When Amy McIntyre, who created the Save Wrightstown Elementary School Facebook page, posted that she learned the school needed 2,500 tennis balls to put on the legs of every chair to protect the new floors, the community immediately responded.

Within two weeks, residents chipped in to collect more, nearly double, the tennis balls needed. McIntyre said she learned of the need through Andrea Hogan, whose children have already graduated from the school.

“The people who are engaged in supporting this school go way beyond just those families who currently have children enrolled at WES,” McIntyre said in an email to Patch.

Some families donated tennis balls, others sent money. The Newtown Pro Shop negotiated a deal on the school’s behalf to buy new balls in bulk at 36 percent off retail.

Council Rock’s Capital Planning Committee in June proposed suggestions for the future of the district, which include closing Wrightstown Elementary School. That proposal has caused outrage among residents in Wrightstown, who have rallied to stop the discussion before it starts.

An online petition opposing the school closure posted on change.org has garnered more than 1,060 signatures.

In addition, Wrightstown Elementary School supporters have created a Facebook page, Save Wrightstown Elementary School.