CLINTON —
As a former East Central student and current Northeast senior, I’m shocked and saddened to see how many people have turned against and abandoned East Central.
They believe Easton Valley, a school that would be formed by merging EC and Preston, would be a better option than whole grade sharing with Northeast.
I, along with many other people in the East Central district, disagree with them.
East Central School Board’s decision to whole grade share with Northeast was the best option for us, the students of EC. With whole grade sharing East Central keeps an elementary school, while junior high and high school students attend class at Northeast. Northeast offers us many more academic opportunities, extracurricular activities, and better facilities than Easton Valley would.
When I first found out that we were going to be whole grade sharing, I was extremely upset. I didn’t want to go to any school other than East Central and neither did many of the other students.
After a few weeks of being mad, though, I decided to change my attitude. I knew that Northeast offered me more opportunities than Preston did and I had taken classes at Northeast, so I felt more comfortable there.
I’ll admit, I was nervous on the first day of school but went in with an open mind and hoped this change would be a good change. I’m glad I did.
This past school year at Northeast was amazing. I made many new friends, and I was challenged academically by the great teachers at Northeast, including several EC high school teachers who were hired there.
We were welcomed graciously by the Northeast students, staff, and community members. They love having us at Northeast and don’t want to see us go. We have become a family, known as Rebel/Raider Nation, and I am proud to say I’m a part of it.
Even though whole grade sharing has been a success and East Central’s unspent balance has grown over the past year, some people still think a merge with Preston is a better idea. They would rather see EC disappear forever and form a school full of uncertainties.
The Easton Valley supporters believe if the vote passes, every EC student who attended Northeast through whole grade sharing will leave Northeast and attend Easton Valley. They are definitely wrong.
Most students who attended Northeast through whole grade sharing will not leave their friends and teachers to go to a new school. They will open enroll out of the EV district and into the Northeast district.
This would cause EV’s finances to lower drastically, and that’s just one of many problems EV would encounter.
I don’t understand how people I used to call my friends would turn against their own school. I could never do such a thing to EC, a school that gave me so much throughout the years I attended it.
EC Elementary deserves to live on and continue educating the young students living in the communities of Miles and Sabula.
Without the great staff at EC Elementary, I would not have a 4.0 GPA and I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I thank them for all the hard work they did for me and for all the other students they teach. They are wonderful people and they will always have my support.
Loyalty is important to me, and I will always be a loyal East Central Raider. Vote “NO” on September 11th and allow East Central Elementary to continue doing great things.
It has for 38 years and deserves to for many more.
We are EC!
Matthew Hoffmann,
Clinton
Matthew Hoffman is a Northeast High School senior and former East Central Raider.
Opinion
July 26, 2012
Student supports East Central/Northeast
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