While no one wants to be in the spotlight over a controversial issue such as a segregated prom, I appreciate the fact that The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has refrained from “piling on.” With more than 200 hate emails and numerous phone calls of similar content related to the longstanding private proms and the effort of students to hold a unified prom this year, I was encouraged to see someone shed light on the subject without jumping to conclusions.
I am pleased to report that Wilcox County High School Principal Chad Davis and his leadership team decided that the school will host a prom next spring. I applaud their decision and find it interesting that no one in Wilcox County — no student, no parent, no community member — had requested that the school or school system host a prom prior to this year. While many adults have questioned why do it if no one is asking, our students do not like being in the midst of this controversy. We are doing it for them.
Our high school does not plan to put on a prom, but host it. The students will still be responsible for raising the money, choosing a theme and coordinating the prom. A prom committee of faculty members, students and parents will lead and guide this process, but we ask that no one simply give money to the effort.
As educators, we strive to make every event a teachable moment. Raising money for prom will teach the students to be resourceful and hard-working, and in the end, they will have the satisfaction of knowing they did it themselves. I had the pleasure of hearing former Labor Commissioner (now DeKalb superintendent) Michael Thurmond speak on a number of occasions, and he always included this statement: “There is dignity in work.”
As educators, we cannot agree more. Studying hard leads to good grades, and working hard leads to success. We will not use tax dollars to fund a prom, especially considering our teachers have been furloughed for the past three years, with even more next year. Our staff and community will gladly support our students’ fundraising efforts. We will also tell them how proud we are of them for working diligently toward a common goal. In the end, I firmly believe this strategy is best for our students.
Now that this issue is settled, I wish I could get the public as excited about public education as they have been over this issue. I wish the media requests from CNN, Fox News, the “Today Show,” Headline News, New York talk shows, Al Jazeera English and countless others would come rushing in to address the underfunding of rural education in Georgia.
I wish someone would do a story on how local churches provide backpacks filled with food to send home on Fridays for our students who rely completely on the school for nutritious meals. Incidentally, the students return those backpacks on Tuesdays (we attend school from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday because of budget cuts) so the process can be repeated weekly.
I wish someone would do a story on the middle school teacher who noticed one of his students struggling to walk in shoes that were too small, and how he left school during his planning period to go purchase a pair of shoes with his own money.
I wish someone would do a story on how often administrators call law enforcement directly because social services is so understaffed, it takes two or three days for them to respond, and we cannot allow our students to be victims of abuse another minute. I wish someone would do a story on just how involved all teachers in Wilcox County are in the lives of their students.
I wish someone would do a story on how our male coaches have become surrogate fathers for so many of our students, with relationships lasting years after the students leave high school. I wish someone would do a story on how many of our students are being raised by grandparents, aunts and other family members, and the challenges those students and their guardians face on a daily basis.
I wish someone would do a story on how talented and close-knit our students really are. I wish someone would do a story on our pre-K student who is battling lung cancer, and how the school system and community are rallying to raise money for this family.
I wish someone would do a story on how limited employment opportunities in Wilcox County lead to an exodus of most of our future leaders. I wish someone would do a story on how difficult it has become to convince our best and brightest to enter the field of education.
Despite my wish list, I am convinced that almost all of our students and teachers do their best each and every day, and I appreciate the fact that most of our parents are involved in their children’s education. I also appreciate how supportive this community is of our school system. I am thankful that the efforts of four young ladies opened our eyes to a situation that needed addressing.
While no one particularly cares for controversy, sometimes the best solutions come from disagreements. Wouldn’t our world be boring if we all thought alike and agreed with each other on everything?
Steve J. Smith is superintendent of the Wilcox County schools.
