Friday, February 7, 2025

Our Turn: Beyond the dollars

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By Shyla Wickham

7th grade, NCSS

A big issue for students, staff, business people, and community members around the district is the referendum. The referendum is a document asking voters to exceed the current tax levy for schools. This vote decides what opportunities can be kept in the our school district.

The three main items at stake that directly affect me are: electives in the middle and high school, Northwoods Community Elementary School and Northwoods Community Secondary School. I am in seventh grade and attend Northwoods Community Secondary School. In elementary school, I attended Northwoods Community Elementary School. Ever since my first year at Northwoods Community Elementary School, I have made a lot of great friends and have had many amazing educational opportunities. I feel like it is important to keep these schools because they provide a great feeling of community.

Removing electives at RHS and JWMS will not only take away many AP courses, fine arts classes, and extracurricular opportunities, but it may also reduce the income for the school district. Adults with children thinking about moving to Rhinelander might choose to not move here knowing that their child will be placed in a school with less art, music and other activities that the school funds,like the drama department. Current students and families may also want to transfer school districts knowing activities they may have enjoyed are now being cut. Sports are also on the list of items to be cut.

Transferring to NCSS has impacted my life greatly. Here I can focus on the things I find interesting and I am regularly allowed to use professional programs such as Adobe products preparing me for my future life. I have developed great relationships with staff and students and look at NCSS like an extension of my family. The sense of community really helps my education because I don’t have to worry about being treated badly because everyone works together and acts like a community. I feel more comfortable working in an environment like that. Being with an advisor for most of the day exposes you to them more often and it makes it easier to build a trusting relationship that way. This makes it easier to talk to teachers if something is bothering you at home. The sense of community makes students happier to come to school and more willing to learn. I think that is important to any school. If you agree that the opportunities I have are important, please let your voice be heard on February 16.

Our Turn

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