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- SNP, John Sheridan
- ThisWeek, Marla K. Kuhlman
"The Great Equalizer"
Horace Mann, who is considered by many to be the Father
of the American Education System, once called Education "The Great Equalizer." During the early 1830's, he pushed for public
education for all citizens. He believed the country needed an educated populace for democracy to work correctly. His efforts
at establishing tax supported schools and training for teachers, has led to the school system our country enjoys today. I
learned all these facts about the father of our education system in my AP American History class at Westerville North, where
I am currently a senior. This year, in my AP US Government and Politics class, I learned that there is a tiny flaw in Horace
Mann's thinking. America is not the democracy everyone believes it is. The country is in fact a republic, since
the Founding Fathers believed a republic could defend against harmful factions over a large area better than a democracy ever
could. Classes like these have helped Westerville gain a reputation of academic excellence, one that makes me very proud to
be a student here. My favorite example is of the Ohio University American History Contest, which AP students at Westerville
North took part in this Thursday. Westerville North has won the statewide contest the last 7 years consecutive and the
last 8 of 9. I hope we continue the tradition of being an "American History Powerhouse" as we are called, for many more years
to come.
Westerville produces excellent students; that is an uncontested fact. We are well-trained
and we will succeed in life. Support for the levy is crucial for ensuring this fact remains as it is now. Thank you.
Caitlyn Nestleroth
WNHS Senior
Westerville's Finest Achievements
The students that you are seeing today represent the Westerville
School System in its finest achievements. These are student athletes, honor roll members, and leaders in our community. They
march in the band, fight against drug abuse, volunteer for the homeless, and even whip out an essay or two to campaign for
the passage of this upcoming levy in their spare time. The students that stand before you today are shaping the future, and
they don't take the job lightly.
It is then one of the saddest realizations to find that this is where the failure
of the levy hits the hardest. These outstanding students are the ones who are going to feel the weight of budget cuts, not
the kids who spend their school day sleeping in the back of the room. The leaders and the honor students, who put more effort
into their school activities than maybe even they would like to admit, are the ones that are going to have to suffer the consequences.
I ask you then, is it fair for these students to have to give up their efforts, their
hobbies, (and not to mention some desirable titles on college applications), because a mistake was made that they had no control
over? The reality is that the money has been spent, whether we approve of the means or not, and the opportunities of
this group of students is to pay for it.
Whether you support the passage of the levy or not, I ask you to consider the needs
of the students in your decision. These are activities that ease the transition from adolescent to adult. They introduce students
to new experiences and people; they encourage students to earn a high grade point average and resist the pressure to experiment
with drugs. These activities are what we high school kids live for, and I ask you to please not take them away from us. Thank
you.
Monica Morse
Westerville North High School
To vote
or not to?
To vote or not to? Why isn't
this an easy question for everyone? If this levy doesn't pass we will see teachers
get cut, the able and talented program will be crushed and supplies will not be replaced.
Look around you and try and count how many teachers and students you see. Without
the money from this levy, all of the students and teachers will suffer.
If this levy does pass there will be more money for books, workbooks, ink cartridges and many other important supplies. I personally wouldn't be able to stand seeing teachers and other workers get cut.
It amazes me how many people don't want this levy to pass. For people
like Terry Wike it won't even effect them very much. If you don't vote and know
teachers and/or students they could be greatly harmed. Please vote for the issue
16 levy and support the Westerville
City School District.
Lizzie,
Hanby 5th Grader
What
are your priorities?
Erasmus, an influential humanist, wrote that the main hope of a nation lies in the proper education of its youth. And so it does. We are the future but
to reach our potential, we need a good education, something the adults of our community can give us by supporting our schools.
Next Tuesday, the voters of the Westerville school district will decide
whether the operating levy will pass or fail and the outcome will reflect the values of our community.
Citizens, ask yourselves what your priorities are. Your children and the
youth of this community deserve the opportunities that our schools can provide, when adequately funded. I ask you now to continue to provide us with a good foundation, to enable us to give expression to our
ambitions, and to set us up to succeed.
I have attended Westerville schools since kindergarten. I am grateful to our community for the education I have received, and I am proud of our district for the
importance its citizens have always placed on academics. I would like so much
to be able to look back with the same pride when I graduate next June.
Please support our schools.
Odelia Ghodsizadeh, Senior South High School
I stand as a good example...
How's everybody doing today? First of all let
me say good afternoon, everyone. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Adam Victor Lattimore, but I prefer to be
called aVL. When I was first asked to speak at this rally, I wasn't quite sure of what I wanted say. So after a little thought,
I decided I should just share my thoughts as of late and my perspective as it pertains to the levy. So you can truly understand
where I'm coming from, I'm going to give you a little background on myself. I'm not originally from around here. I was born
in Syracuse, New York. My family moved here to Westerville when I was four years old. I began my formal education at a private
school in Worthington. I transferred to the public system in seventh grade. I
wasn't quite sure what to expect; but what I got was a life-altering experience. Now granted, it hasn't all been good. We
all have our rough days, but those days seem miniscule when weighed against the positive impact this experience carries with
it. I hadn't been a very motivated student going into the seventh grade, but because of the dedication of the staff that I
encountered and the programs and activities that were made available to me, I did a complete turn around. My quest for knowledge
continued in high school just as enthusiastically as I had left middle school. I found myself in the company of not only amazing
students and staff, arguably the best in the world, but I also was introduced to a list of classes, clubs, activities, and
sports to numerable to count. The plethora of available options included the likes of advanced placement classes, service
organizations and championship winning teams. It was clear to me that this district realizes that to properly invest in our
future, they have to provide us with a chance to explore many of our interests. It saddens me to think that there is a possibility
that some of those same doors I chose to walk through will be closed to the students yet to come. It would be ideal if these
things could be run by just the sheer dedication of the people working for this school district, but unfortunately that's
not the way things are. Money makes the world go round; it's no different here in Westerville. The debate is over monetary
resources, one that I can't fully understand. For a person to say "No, I won't invest X amount of dollars into the future
of this country, tomorrow's doctors, lawyers, politicians, business owners..." and the list goes on. This community has built
a reputation of being a good place to raise a family, but you can't raise a family without educating your youth to the best
of his/her abilities. I feel I stand as a good example of what this school district can produce. Now, of course, I haven't
graduated yet and ventured off into the world to do big things; but I feel it, I'm not the same man I use to be! I've got
dreams larger than life and I'm going to work hard to reach them. Now I entrust with all of you the mission to go out and
let the people of this community know that we understand and appreciate what they have given in the past, and hope that they
will continue to give in the future. And, when you encounter those people that may not have children and they ask why they
should be concerned with what the schools are doing, ask them to consider the probability that someone affecting their daily
life is a product of the public schools; it could be the family doctor or dentist, a legal consultant, or a financial consultant.
Show them the real needs we face right now. Thank You.
Adam Victor Lattimore, Westerville
North Senior
Students concerned for unclear future
My name is Jessica Sharpe and I am a senior at Westerville South. First off, I would like
to thank everyone who came out today in the lovely weather to show support for our schools. This crowd is a testimony
to the concerns all us students have for the unclear future of our schools. I am eighteen years old and I am registered
to vote for the upcoming election on November 4th. On that day I will be supporting our schools, along with every
student's future by voting for the school levy. I encourage everyone who desires a strong educational system in
Westerville to vote on November 4th in support of the school levy. Thank you.
Jessica Sharpe, Westerville South Senior
Fifth graders speak out
Hello, everyone. We are the 5th
grade representatives from Emerson Elementary Magnet
School. We would like for you to support the Westerville
City Schools' Levy. We would like to talk to you about some issues facing the
Westerville City School District. Because the school levy in May did not pass our school does not get student council
and some other important student organizations. If you were to support the cause,
the schools will get more money to educate children. Our schools could get more
learning tools and supplies to keep learning fun and educational. Our libraries
may also get more books this way and computers for our classrooms. This year
due to the May levy we don't get a student council. Student council earned money
for the schools and it was a fun learning experience. If you vote "Yes" you will
be helping our district and us.
This levy could shape a child's future.
This is where the learning begins. This could be our future. By voting "Yes" we can learn to shape the life ahead of us. There
will be a future, doesn't mean it'll be a great one, but it can be. Your
vote means a lot to us and our schools. There will be a tomorrow. Make
it happy. Yet again, we would like to ask you to vote "Yes" for our cause and
be a citizen to appreciate. Make tomorrow bright and happy. We lived the past, are experiencing the future, and we are the future.
Thank you for listening to our speech and seriously consider voting "Yes."
Sam
and Anne, Emerson 5th Graders
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