The facts from a high school student leader

I have been a student leader in Whitefish High School for the past four years. As a senior, I was the captain of the football and wrestling teams, and I am currently the school board representative from the Whitefish High student government.

My purpose in writing is not to sell the bond but to clear up misconceptions about the reconstruction and reported lack of student voice in the project. I want to give the people of our community the facts.

In 2006, I was asked to form a student committee to elicit student input in the plans for reconstruction. This committee consisted of 12 students from various organizations, groups, clubs and activities involved in the school. This group met on five occasions and discussed with our assistant principle what we would like in a school.

After the meetings, we would discuss possibilities and changes that could be made with our peers. We also met with the community committee and presented the students' needs and values. Students did have a voice in the project and still do.

People around town are asking how we, the students, feel about the bond. Just because the students who wrote the recent editorial haven't been asked their opinions on the bond doesn't mean it hasn't been happening.

The closed campus is a completely different issue and should not be the reason people vote yes or no for the bond. As a student, it doesn't really matter if I go get a greasy hamburger or bring my own lunch. If a closed campus occurs, the lunch offerings for students will be greatly expanded.

For those who believe a closed campus is the administration trying to lock down the students like prisoners, they are misinformed. Our parents and the community, along with the administration, are only trying to create an overall safer learning environment. In fact, a new courtyard is in the plans for students as a place to eat and study when it's nice out.

I do feel bad for the students who experienced the construction at Central School. It was a very difficult process for them, and that is why the plans for the high school were designed to eliminate any inconveniences or distractions.

The students will never walk through construction zones or be put in temporary classrooms. The process will be to build the new parts of the school while the students attend classes in the existing building. After this phase is completed, classrooms will be moved into the new building while the rest of the school is being constructed and finished. This will minimize the disruption for the students and teachers. This will be done to keep the learning environment as normal as possible.

If you would like to learn more about this plan, please contact assistant principle Jeff Peck at the high school at 862-8600 ext. 405

"All of these letters were written by adults old enough to vote by law, but too old to witness what really goes on inside the school," was one of the statements made in the letter as well.

Many of these concerned adults do have children, grandchildren, friends with kids, neighbors, etc. who may attend high school. These people are not totally out of the loop.

More people need to write about this topic because they are the ones paying the taxes for me and all Whitefish students to receive an education in a public institution. It is your money and your students' future.

You as a taxpayer deserve the right to ask questions and to understand what will take place. Please stop in and play a part in the future of our community.

Kevin McDowell is a student at Whitefish High School.