Letter to the Editor

NEVC students need a better learning environment

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Dear Editor,

Five generations of my family have graduated from the two schools that are now combined into the NEVC R-1 School District.

The students from our school take second place to no other students. Everyone who wants to attend college does and returns to our community to become business personnel, business owners, skilled nurses, lawyers, judges, welders, teachers, military, skilled mechanics, people of all trades and, most of all, some of the most successful farmers in the state.

The students of our district are consistently the best when it comes to their accomplishments in their scholastic achievements. They come back from district, state, and national competitions with the top awards in their fields, while competing with students from much larger schools, as well as, against schools in our area.

Larger schools are not always the answer, because many of the students get lost in the crowd. The teachers do not have the time to work with the students that just need a little "extra." The larger schools tend to only dedicate time to the higher level students, while the rest have to get their own tutor, or just fall behind. I know this because one of my family members was in this group from one of our larger local schools. Only with parental help was their problem resolved.

Our teachers do a terrific job with our students. The ones that have stayed with our school through the years have acquired advanced degrees in their area. The ones that move on go to larger schools usually do so for more money. Every teacher needs some district to take a chance on him or her to prove what he or she can accomplish and to grow with his or her students. We are very proud of all our teachers in our school district. They are always taking classes, or training to broaden their own education and to return that knowledge to our students.

It is now time that we get a new school for our children to continue their education. I would love to see a new school with a roof that does not leak every time it rains. Currently, more cold air blows in than the furnace can heat efficiently. Drains are always clogged because they are 80 years old -- most of them are buried under the building and eroding away. The floors warp every time it rains because the building is below ground level and they draw moisture from the water that runs through the walls. The stairs make so much creaking noise that every nearby class is distracted when someone goes up or down them. Classes that are in outer buildings require student to go between buildings every hour. The brick walls need new chinking to keep the air and rain out, and the bricks from slipping out of place. The electrical service needs upgrading to support all the new computers and printers to improve our education. This is a problem on both of our campuses. The cost to repair just these problems is overwhelming and this is just a few of our facility's problems.

Our students need your support to make their education more pleasant in a friendly environment.

Please vote YES on Proposition S on April 6.

Cheryl Bogardus, head of maintenance, NEVC