WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers FIXING THE TRIM- Sue Waggoner, local resident and participant in the 2008 Leadership Simi Valley class, paints a storage shed outside of the preschool classroom, which is located on the campus of Royal High School. Eighteen enthusiastic students spent their day on a playground Saturday, but they weren't playing tag. And they weren't kids.

They were adults toiling diligently on their capstone project as part of Leadership Simi Valley, a program that brings together men and women interested in serving their city and their neighbors.

"It's a civic leadership development program to prepare the next generation of leaders in the community," said Alan Barkwill, 31, a Simi resident who works in market research. "The information we've gained empowers us to take the next step and give back."

And give back they did. For six hours the class labored in the sun to revamp the YMCA preschool playground- their project of choice- at Royal High School.

"We wanted to have a lasting impact," Barkwill said, "and leave the younger generation with a positive impression of what this community can do."

WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers FENCED IN- Simi Valley resident Curt Witeby puts privacy slats in the fence around the YMCA preschool playground on Saturday. Witeby and 17 other members of this year's Leadership Simi Valley class volunteered their time to fix up the facility as their capstone project. Months of planning and fundraising that generated $15,500 ($5,500 from the YMCA itself) led up to Saturday's event. It was the finale in the city's 10-month leadership program sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce.

The rehab project began in March with the conversion of a sandbox into a cleaner and safer patch of artificial grass. And asphalt was slurry-sealed to create a smoother surface.

Saturday's activities included weaving colorful strips into a chainlink fence to create a privacy screen blocking the parking lot view. The group also painted blue an exterior side of the classroom, which will be finished with a mural.

Barkwill said the class plans to replace a weed-strewn area of the playground with more Astroturf, too.

The 2008 class is the 20th to go through the leadership program since 1988 and will join nearly 400 alumni for whom volunteering is a lifestyle.

Each monthly, daylong meeting is themed, with topics including government, economic development, law enforcement, media, education, health and human services, the arts and ethics.

The class toured sites like city hall, the police department, the landfill, the Reagan Library archives, and the Ventura County Star's production facility.

Husband-and-wife team Scott and Kristin Tignac, both 39, got involved with the program.

"The class has been amazing, how much we've learned about the city," said Kristin, coordinator for the Coalition for Simi Valley Youth and Community and a stay-at-home mom.

Scott, district manager for Waste Management, said he and his wife plan to apply their newfound knowledge by joining Citizens on Patrol and the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).

"We don't want to stop learning about the community and being a part of it," Scott said. Motioning to the work going on around him on the playground, he added, "This is a great way to spend your day, helping other people."

Locals can apply for the September-to-June program or be nominated for it, but all applicants must live or work in Simi.

"We're such a diverse group with different backgrounds and professions," said Simi resident Jennifer Moore, 33, who owns a law firm. "It shows you no matter what you do in life, there's always something to learn from others."

To kick off the class, the group goes on a two-day retreat to discuss leadership and also get a chance to bond.

Sgt. Dwight Thompson with Simi Valley Police Department said his favorite part of the class was building friendships at the retreat.

"You walk in Friday morning and don't know anybody, and by Saturday afternoon you're very close friends," he said.

Though Thompson has lived in Simi for a decade and worked with the SVPD for 18 years, he said there were things the class taught him that he had "no clue" about.

But that's exactly why he got involved.

"I wanted to see a little bit more indepth of the behindthescenes operations of the city," Thompson said. "It will deepen my ability to understand and work in the community."

While the transformation on the YMCA playground is remarkable, the one inside the hearts and minds of the leadership group is equally so.

"Even if you've lived in Simi your whole life, there's something that you can learn every day in this program," Moore said. "I always said as a prosecutor, 'I can't fix the world, but I'm doing what I can one case at a time.'"