The Times West Virginian

Opinion

March 18, 2010

Student protestors get great civics lesson

For the Times West Virginian

FAIRMONT —  

Senior projects may be an issue for East Fairmont High School seniors, but we believe a large group of them demonstrated that they were paying attention in civics class.

Students from the school organized a peaceful demonstration outside of the Marion County Board of Education office Friday to express their frustration about the 21st Century Passport senior project. The Class of 2010 is the first to have the senior project as part of their graduation requirements, and organizers said they were unhappy with the way the school system is handling the launch.

“Pretty much, our complaint is that the board of education has thrown this on us, without any direc­tion, without any resources,” said EFHS Senior Class President Paris Winfrey, one of the demonstration’s coordinators. “It’s in the hands of administrators, and we have no idea what to do. We’re really frustrated.”

A public Facebook page was created to organize the protest, with Winfrey, Abby Steele and Travis Blosser listed as administrators. Blosser is currently a Republican candidate for the House of Delegates race here in Marion County.

Steele told the Times West Virginian that students “learn about protests in class, so we’re conducting one.”

This demonstration was organized well. Students contacted the Fairmont Police Department to make officers aware of their presence. They wanted to peacefully protest an issue they felt very strongly about. In essence, they were exercising their civil liberties and their constitutional rights.

We don't believe anything could demonstrate more that this group of students has a maturity that will prepare them for the “real world” when they complete these projects and accept their diplomas in May.

At the height of the protest, there were about 60 students at the BOE office Friday morning. It could be that rumors of suspension and other disciplinary action prevented more from attending the protest. Superintendent of Schools Tom Deadrick asked them to leave after he arrived at work at about 7:45 a.m. 

Before 8 a.m., Deadrick went outside to speak to the growing ranks of students and told them that their behavior was not what he expect­ed from students who were set to grad­uate in two months. When asked for comment, Deadrick told a reporter that he wouldn’t dignify the display with a state­ment. He also questioned the validity of the event as being “newsworthy.”

We believe it was.

But Deadrick did something right Friday morning. He told those gathered that he did not want to address “a mob,” preferring to speak to student representatives and school administrators in order to come to a mutual understanding about the senior projects.

That meeting was held, and we certainly hope it cleared up some miscommunication from all parties involved and will serve to improve the launch of the senior projects for the Class of 2010 and beyond.

Would the meeting have taken place without the demonstration? Well, we can’t answer that. But we do have to applaud the student body class of East Fairmont for making their voice heard in a responsible, organized way that ended with a resolution.

It was perhaps the best civics lesson these students have ever received. 

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