GHS Students Rally In Support of Public Education

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Greenwich High School held a rally in support of public schools Tuesday morning. (John Ferris Robben photo)

By Paul Silverfarb
Sentinel Editor

For a handful of students at Greenwich High School, the time is now to make their voices heard about their pride in a public-school education.

With the Public School Proud movement rolling through Connecticut over the past week, students at GHS rallied together Tuesday afternoon at the school’s front courtyard, letting everyone know exactly how they feel about public schools.

Liz Murray, a senior at GHS, said that the goal of the 10-minute protest in front of the school was to be more positive than negative.

“This isn’t a protest against the incoming administration, against Donald Trump or against Betsy DeVos,” Murray said. “We understand that they are our leaders. But we wanted to make sure that students here have a voice. Greenwich High School students are proud to be here and most of the time we chose to be here. We wanted to make sure the incoming administration knows that public school students are proud of the institutions that raised them. They are proud of where they get their education.”

And so, a little after 11:35 a.m. on Tuesday, more than 50 students made their way to the courtyard to sign a “Public School Proud” banner and to hear from the Greenwich High School Young Democrats Club, which was rallying support for public schools—a reaction to their concerns about what they have read about DeVos’ record.

DeVos, a Michigan resident, was confirmed on Feb. 7 as Secretary of Education, when Vice President Mike Pence cast the deciding vote after the U.S. Senate tied at 50-50.

In Michigan, DeVos was a strong supporter of school choice including charter schools, schools vouchers, and private education.

Greenwich High School held a rally in support of public schools Tuesday morning. (John Ferris Robben photo)

“I think this is really important because a lot of kids that are participating here today didn’t have the opportunity to vote,” said senior Emma Himes, a member of the Young Democrats Club and daughter of Congressman Jim Himes. “I think this is our way to say that we have a voice. We don’t like what Betsy DeVos stands for, and we have pride in our public schools and this is us speaking out.”

During the presidential campaign, Trump said he would provide $20 billion in federal support for vouchers and charter schools. Some students worry that funds might be diverted from public schools.

“A lot of us feel that the direction that Mrs. DeVos is taking, that whole charter school movement is dangerous,” Murray said. “It threatens the institutions that we are so proud to be a part of. Public school students won’t be silent as charter schools try to take money away from them.”

Whether charter schools actually drain money from public schools or not is a topic of serious debate throughout the country and one that will certainly engender more debate as alternative options for how best to educate students are fully explored. The important take away from this rally, according to Joseph Magliocco, a senior and the student body president at Greenwich High, is that the rally allowed students to express their belief in a strong public school system.

“Public schools offer education to everyone, and it’s so important that we support our public schools,” Magliocco said. He believes that “her plans for school vouchers would take money and funding out of the most critical areas in the critical schools in our country. A voucher isn’t going to cover all the cost of private school for most students, so what will happen will be that our most at-risk students will remain at a public-school system. But without the funding, that system is going to be even more broken.”

Natalie Lilien, a student at Greenwich High School, said that she’s been trying to figure out how the new administration’s policies would affect her.

“I have been in public schools my entire life, my whole family has been in public school their entire lives, and I am definitely a huge proponent of what a public-school education can do for students,” Lilien said. “It’s important, as students at the high school, to show that we know what we are actually talking about. We know how Trump’s presidency is affecting us personally, and it’s important to show that we aren’t just against Trump, but also against his specific actions and how they affect us.”

Jacob Back, a student at the high school, found out about Tuesday morning’s event through his Facebook notifications and couldn’t be more thrilled about making his voice heard.

“When I see people protesting or sticking up for what they believe is right, it actually makes me very happy,” Back said. “The way that the current president is handling things so far is making me sad, so when I see people standing up for themselves and what they believe in, it makes my heart happy.”

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