Kyle Anderson courageously addressed board members at our meeting last night on the Sparkman High issue. He passionately concluded to rousing applause: You have the opportunity to develop Sparkman into the greatest high school in the state instead of splitting it into two mediocre institutions. Believe in us, believe in the family, because no one else does. Kyles entire address is below. Thank you Kyle. -------------------------- My name is Kyle Anderson, and I am a senior and Student Government President at Sparkman High School. I would like to read you an excerpt of a letter that I wrote to you in September, but for some reason was never received. Shortly before the beginning of this school year I was challenged by a teacher of mine to consider the legacy I would leave behind and to consider ways that I could leave a lasting impact on the community that has raised me. The Vice President, Briann Ryce, and I realized that the single most important change coming to the Sparkman community is the construction of a new high school. We have lived in the greater Sparkman area our entire lives. We have known basically from birth that we would attend this great high school. We grew up playing baseball at Phillips Park and soccer at Pine View Baptist and basketball in Upward and MPRA; when Endeavor Elementary was built we were some of the first kids to see the inside. Afterwards, we attended Monrovia Middle School and attended football games in Sparkman Middle’s stadium. Briann and I attended the Ninth Grade Academy and we have had the pleasure of spending the past two years of our lives across the street at the “big” high school. We have experienced almost everything there is to experience at Sparkman and in our area. We have competed for, represented, and led at our school; we have met the good, the bad, and the ugly of Sparkman High, and we have come to this conclusion: Sparkman High School is the best high school in the state. As I read this now, I realize that I was wrong when I wrote this. We are not THE best high school in the state. But we could be. For as long as I can remember, what seems like everyone has doubted and put down Sparkman high school. I was told how terrible my experience there would be and how pathetic Sparkman is, but they couldn’t be more wrong. Of course there are problems at Sparkman, but there are problems in every single high school in the country. The positive aspects of Sparkman are never mentioned but the negatives are fixated on. On more than one occasion, my teachers have told me stories of being pitied because they work at Sparkman. There are great things happening in the halls of Sparkman High School. We have hundreds of artists and musicians and future leaders. We have one of the nation’s best journalism programs, full of students who are great thinkers and writers. We have competitive athletics and a dynasty of a softball program. And despite their lack of facilities, our theater and band programs are two of the premier programs in the state if not the country. And most importantly we have great academics and wonderful teachers. Furthermore, we have something that no one else comes close to having, and that is powerful. “Excellence our tradition, diversity our strength.” Is not just a catchy tagline on our letterhead. It is something we experience daily. I have had the opportunity to meet people from almost every continent, of every race and socioeconomic status. In one day, I spend time with students who want for nothing and those living off of food stamps. In one day, I spend time with my friend Arya from Nepal and Brandon from Mexico. My classmates have taught me more than any teacher at any school could teach anyone. The lessons we learn from the diversity in our school are 10 times more valuable than any amount of note taking could ever be. How can we lose that, our greatest commodity, our defining characteristic? How can we lose the one thing that sets us apart from every other high school in the state? The one thing that gives our students a leg up and an advantage over other school systems in an increasingly competitive world? Our community revolves around Sparkman High School. We are not Harvest, Monrovia, or Toney. WE ARE SPARKMAN, and we cannot afford to break that unity. It has taken years of work to unify our area under one banner, and it is priceless. I believe fully in the unity and the family that is my school and I know that if it is torn apart it will take many years to repair the damage. You have the opportunity to build on the greatness that already exists at Sparkman High School. You have the opportunity to invest in and build up thousands of students and faculty that are constantly beat up and walked over. You have the opportunity to develop Sparkman into the greatest high school in the state instead of splitting it into two mediocre institutions. Believe in us, believe in the family, because no one else does.
Posted on: Sat, 17 Jan 2015 02:50:58 +0000
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