The Hornell School District just came out with what cuts they are projecting for the upcoming year.In the article they say they are $2,172,512 short in the budget. The solution, cutting education down to the bare minimum. This sounds like a perfect recipe for disaster. I find it ironic that good ol' HHS can go from three time football state champions, to cutting all athletics. But to me, that's not even the worst part, they are going to cut the Arts as well. Music and Art, gone.
Now, I was an athlete. In high school I competed in three varsity sports, Swimming, Indoor and Outdoor Track. I finished high school with 15 varsity letters, two individual Section V titles, one team Section V title. And I went on to compete in Track for three years of college earning three All Americans, Competing in the NCCAA meet three times, and I jumped my way onto RWC all time record lists for both indoor and outdoor track. A very successful Athletic career for a high jumper that only stands at 5'4". All of this was possible because I was able to compeate in high school, and push myself to greater heights. But, I would have turned it all down if it had interfered with art, and in some ways, my senior year of college, that is exactly what I did.
Education is more then reading, writing and arithmetic. A big part of education is learning about yourself. Learning who you are and what you are good at. Figuring out what you might want to do with the rest of your life. With minimal to no exposure to extra circulars in any way shape or form how will students learn where their abilities lie?
On top of cutting programs, they also are planning on cutting teachers. About 20 of them, this means larger class sizes. Which means not only are the students not going to have limited extracurriculars but they will also get less attention from the teachers. In fact, a student that may need a little extra help will probably get almost entirely lost in the shuffle. Those teachers that are cut could have been the one to impact a child in an amazing way, and send them to greater heights. Most of the teachers that might be cut are the in the arts, so those that may survive the cut will be spread extremely thin.
Will this economy ever turn around? or will we continue to punish the children?
Now, I was an athlete. In high school I competed in three varsity sports, Swimming, Indoor and Outdoor Track. I finished high school with 15 varsity letters, two individual Section V titles, one team Section V title. And I went on to compete in Track for three years of college earning three All Americans, Competing in the NCCAA meet three times, and I jumped my way onto RWC all time record lists for both indoor and outdoor track. A very successful Athletic career for a high jumper that only stands at 5'4". All of this was possible because I was able to compeate in high school, and push myself to greater heights. But, I would have turned it all down if it had interfered with art, and in some ways, my senior year of college, that is exactly what I did.
Education is more then reading, writing and arithmetic. A big part of education is learning about yourself. Learning who you are and what you are good at. Figuring out what you might want to do with the rest of your life. With minimal to no exposure to extra circulars in any way shape or form how will students learn where their abilities lie?
On top of cutting programs, they also are planning on cutting teachers. About 20 of them, this means larger class sizes. Which means not only are the students not going to have limited extracurriculars but they will also get less attention from the teachers. In fact, a student that may need a little extra help will probably get almost entirely lost in the shuffle. Those teachers that are cut could have been the one to impact a child in an amazing way, and send them to greater heights. Most of the teachers that might be cut are the in the arts, so those that may survive the cut will be spread extremely thin.
I know that high school is more then the sports I played, the art I created and the musicals and plays that I was in. It was about the education I received. But the people I met, the experiences I had, and the teachers that changed my life. Those are the memories I hold dear. That is what I remember about high school. And that is what I feel is being ripped from the kids today. It makes me glad to be out of school, but fearful for the children I may have in the future.
Will this economy ever turn around? or will we continue to punish the children?
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