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Mike Moser Would a high school Interest in forming a Parent-Teacher Association
(PTA) for Cumberland County High School appears to be growing
in the community and it is said that the powers that be within
the school system are not embracing this move with open arms. As a father I can understand the desire of
parents to become more involved in their children's lives. This
could be an excellent way to not only become an advocate for
our kids, but become more intimately involved with their nurturing
and growth. I also understand the concerns of administrators
as to what kind of monster such an organization could be if leadership
falls into the wrong hands. We don't need another political group whose
only desire is power and to run things. We have plenty of those
groups and factions already. If one wants to be a political voice
I would suggest joining the county Democratic or Republican parties.
Both are excellent, active groups and would welcome another hard
worker. What we do need are champions for our youth,
persons wanting to make positive changes and make a difference
in young lives, persons who are more concerned with solving complex
problems of youth as opposed to finding fault for why things
are like they are. A PTA for CCHS can be a good thing ... and
it can be a bad thing, and therein lies the danger. An example of good are the band boosters and
the baseball team boosters. Their only goals are to support students
who participate in these activities. They do a great job through
action, showing the kids that, "Yes, we care." I am stating here and now that I would be
a strong supporter of the PTA if that group would focus on providing
opportunities and encouragement for our kids. One of the first things I see that would need
to be addressed is the high dropout rate at the high school.
Until we are ready to quit shuffling the numbers and recognize
that we have a serious problem in this area, then we will be
spinning our wheels as far as CCHS goes. It is easy to blame teachers and administrators
for so many kids leaving school during the freshman and sophomore
years, but to place the blame there is unrealistic and narrow-minded.
I am one of those who believe CCHS is too
big and a county this size is cheating its youth by cramming
thousands into one building. Bigger is not always better. Unfortunately,
that will not change anytime soon so we have to look elsewhere
to make changes. Teachers can only do so much. Do you really
expect the marginal or struggling student to get the attention
that is really needed when teachers see 100 to 150 students every
day? Many of us who have only two or three kids at home go bonkers
on the weekends. The end result of this is that the good students,
the fast students, excel and the marginal students fall farther
and farther behind until they find their situation helpless. Mentoring and tutoring are needed and don't
tell me these marginal students won't accept help under the right
circumstances. We also have to quit looking at the GED as
a high school diploma because it is not. The GED is only a test
that gauges a certain measure of knowledge ... it does not give
that teen the same educational experience. I am not condemning
the GED program because it has its place. But there is nothing
to say that we as a community have to embrace a GED the same
as a diploma because they are not the same. We have to give these kids chances for success.
Because of the sheer numbers at CCHS, opportunities for success
are limited. I realize some decisions concerning extracurricular
activities have polarized the community. Too much money is spent
on this sport, or that activity. Not enough is spent on academics.
Each person has his own list of priorities for our schools. But
I sit back at times and wonder, "Why can't we have it all?" "Naive?" you say. I don't agree.
We are not the poor struggling county we once were. Our sales
tax compared to surrounding counties is phenomenal. There are
private sources of funding that would be made available if the
benefactor were assured money donated would be used wisely. Some say extracurricular activities are "luxuries,"
but I don't agree with that either. I know case after case of
students staying in school, making the second effort simply because
they found something, whether it be band or art or, yes, those
awful sports programs, that they could succeed at. And the taste
of success and resulting self-pride can make all the difference
in the world to a young life. For the good students, I think a good start
for the PTA would be the sponsorship of academic rallies similar
to what Homestead Elementary holds. If we can have pep rallies
for special sporting events, why can't we have pep rallies to
recognize good grades, band and choir students competing in all-state
competition and the like? There are many, many ideas out there. A PTA
can be a great help to teachers, to administrators, but more
importantly, to the young adults at CCHS. If this is the goal
of such an organization, count me in ... if it is just the goal
to be another political action group, count me out. I won't use
the students as pawns in yet another education controversy. The students at CCHS need our help and our support. It is time we, as a community, prove to them we do care, not for political power or personal agenda, but simply because we care. We need to show these kids we care about all of them. I think they will, in turn, show us that is all they have wanted all along. |