I’m writing this editorial to honor a promise to the students at Crestwood High School. I happened to be substituting the day the program “Because I Said I Would” was presented. I told several students that I would write a letter to the editor if the chance for a new high school presented itself.
I am encouraging community members to vote positively for a new facility for the following reasons:
– Without air-conditioning, it is as difficult to learn as it is to teach in the stifling 90 degree temperatures that accompany the earlier August starting date.
– The multileveled configuration of our current facility is not welcoming to any students, or guests, that need special accommodations.
– The restrooms, shared by faculty and students alike, resemble out-house chic with mirrors that resemble funhouse reflections.
– Our gymnasium is not equal to the task of hosting major sports events due to the number and lack of comfortable seating. The locker rooms are on a different level from the playing floor.
– The current gymnasium is also not suitable for hosting awards assemblies, nor showcasing our students’ musical talents as well as plays. Every type of talent deserves its own space for creative development.
– The cooks are as deserving of updated facilities as are the students.
– Technology changes fast and furiously, and will be the driving force to create new types of jobs.
– Our community will lose students if we cannot provide for an education that can help them fashion a productive future. We lose students…we lose dollars. Real estate agents will lose a strong bragging right to attract new families to our community and keep property values high.
– The Crestwood District now has some of the most creative educational programs in the state, such as The Academy. The Art Department has been helping our students achieve state and national recognition for many consecutive years. Think what they could additionally accomplish with updated facilities!
After teaching for the Crestwood District for 32 years, I spent an additional seven as a substitute where I met the most amazing teachers, principals, students and staff. I have kept my promise to write in support of a modern facility.
I hope the community will support our students as well.
