Brian Smith (Canton 2004) wrote this letter to the Board of Education in the Spring of 2011 as they considered budget cuts. It is a wonderful reminder of the impact of WSDP.
I am heartbroken to read of the news of the great budget challenges facing the school district for the 2011/12 school year. As a 2004 graduate of the Park, I was saddened to see news of the potential closure of an elementary school, the massive layoffs of teachers, and the reduction of services resulting from the budgetary challenges of the coming year.
What affects me most deeply is the proposed elimination of WSDP, the student-run radio station.
Before the age of 18, I had reported live on-air during a national crisis (I was on during my lunch on Sept. 11, 2001), reported during several weather emergencies in Plymouth-Canton, was one of two reporters to speak with former Superintendent Dr. Jim Ryan the night he was elevated from Interim Superintendent to the permanent position, and had gained a high degree of practical experience, which I continue to use to this day.
What troubles me from the PowerPoint presentation viewable on the P-CCS website is the contention that the elimination of WSDP would result in "little impact to student achievement." While WSDP is primarily an extra-curricular activity, it, like athletics, has a minimum grade-point-average requirement. I've known students who were pushed just THAT much harder, motivated just a little more, in their classroom studies in order to maintain their standing with the radio station.
From WSDP, I also learned interpersonal, time-management, and practical academic skills in ways that I didn't necessarily get from classroom study.
By the age of 18, I had spoken by phone and in person with the superintendent of schools, state representatives, officials in the offices of U.S. Representatives and the Governor of Michigan, in addition to everyday Plymouth-Canton residents. The relationships created as a result of WSDP have in some cases continued even to this day, seven years after I graduated.
I lettered in radio at WSDP. I was never an athletic person, and never would be. I was extremely grateful for the opportunity to earn my varsity letter doing something I loved. The time commitment required to earn one's varsity letter is impressive as well. At the time I earned mine, the varsity letter required 300 hours of work at the station. Between the work required as a member of the station's staff and extra time I put in to support the mission of the station, I easily tripled that amount in my four years at the Park. I did all of this while maintaining a 3.2 GPA in my classroom students.
WSDP also taught me to be a better writer, a better speaker, and a better teacher, all academic skills that benefited me during my two years as a student leader, and in the years following. That's not something that I could learn from a traditional English class as well as I did from Bill Keith, Jody Gross and Lew Perrotta, the adult managers of WSDP during my time on staff.
WSDP also gave me a lot of courage. In my time since graduation and even leaving the state of Michigan, I've grown and am pursuing dreams not "typical" of my generation. I am the Editor of the Classic City Courier, an online news publication that serves the Athens, Georgia community. In that role, I'm responsible for editing and proofreading stories, and lead a staff of five individuals (a number that will also be growing this summer.) I am using journalistic and leadership skills that I learned from WSDP, and my time there will always have a special place in my heart.
I hope with all of my heart that you will consider these thoughts as you navigate the difficult road ahead.
All this being said, I understand and I respect the role of the Board of Education as stewards of nearly 20,000 educations and more than 1,000 incomes (teachers, maintenance, etc.). You have a responsibility to make choices that most directly benefit the students and community in Plymouth-Canton.
I wish you the very best of luck as you make these choices, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for listening to my thoughts on the matter.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
70 Mile Bike Trip for WSDP
This morning I made a 70 mile bike ride to the nearest town with internet access to express my support of WSDP. I can honestly say that the trip I made this morning, or the trip I made last year to Zambia as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer, would not have happened without the time and experience I had as a student at WSDP. My experience at WSDP, and how it has served me, is similar to many other students who had the opportunity to work at the station. Alumni that leave the station do not necessarily go on to have careers in radio broadcasting, in fact, I would say that only a small percentage do. But, the skills that are fostered and nurtured at the station are one's that serve all of its students wherever they go and whatever they do in this world. To me, the stations greatest gift to the students is the opportunity to create and collaborate. When talking about the future for our state, and what our students need to be successful, I hear both of these qualities mentioned from politicians from both sides of the aisle.
For the past eight months I have been working as a Public Health Volunteer in rural Zambia. I face daily challenges to educate my villagers on subjects of malaria, HIV/AIDS, child health, and food security. As with most rewarding jobs, it's challenging. But, what makes this job challenging and not impossible are skills I obtained from my education from the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools, and largely, WSDP. The most rewarding part of my service has been working with members of my village. To work and learn in conjunction with them in attempts to improve the public health of our area is a profound experience. The opportunity to
work and learn from people that are different than me is not a new experience, though. This I learned at WSDP.
Thank you for the opportunity for allowing me to share my thoughts. My time at WSDP allowed me to see how thoughtful and passionate our district’s school board is in providing our area the best public education possible. No matter the outcome of the 2011/2012 budget, I will
be confident that the decisions were made for best way to safeguard our community’s strong public education foundation.
Sincerely,
Scott G. Decker
For the past eight months I have been working as a Public Health Volunteer in rural Zambia. I face daily challenges to educate my villagers on subjects of malaria, HIV/AIDS, child health, and food security. As with most rewarding jobs, it's challenging. But, what makes this job challenging and not impossible are skills I obtained from my education from the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools, and largely, WSDP. The most rewarding part of my service has been working with members of my village. To work and learn in conjunction with them in attempts to improve the public health of our area is a profound experience. The opportunity to
work and learn from people that are different than me is not a new experience, though. This I learned at WSDP.
Thank you for the opportunity for allowing me to share my thoughts. My time at WSDP allowed me to see how thoughtful and passionate our district’s school board is in providing our area the best public education possible. No matter the outcome of the 2011/2012 budget, I will
be confident that the decisions were made for best way to safeguard our community’s strong public education foundation.
Sincerely,
Scott G. Decker
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Making Something from Nothing
A few words in support of WSDP.
On Dec. 19, 1980, history teacher Scott Beaman noticed me in the Plymouth Salem library, and asked what I was doing. My answer was, “nothing.”
In fact, “nothing” was my outlook in life. High school Junior: unmotivated, mediocre grades, no athlete or musician or artisan of any kind. Just one of hundreds upon hundreds at PCEP in that category.
Mr. Beaman (you can't call him anything but “Mr. Beaman”) looked at me for a moment and replied, “Follow me.” He left me in the WSDP general manager's office with Jeffrey Cardinal, John Seidelman, and Kathy Allen — all faculty members with formal duties at the radio station. I don't know what Mr. Beaman saw in me, other than a b-s'er, and perhaps that fits for the broadcasting profession. But they handed me a long roll of yellow UPI wire copy and told me to edit it and read it for an audition.
The next school year I was WSDP's news director. The year after that, I was working professionally in news radio, and 30 years later, I am a television news anchor in Florida.
I still have that UPI wire copy, now faded to a pale brown, still hastily marked up with my almost-juvenile pencil scrawls. A reminder that a high school radio station that some consider an extravagance, was absolutely vital to providing me a direction, a career, a life.
All of us who support WSDP recognize school board members have tough choices to make. None of us believe you would blithely cut funds for this program. But as you consider the difficult alternatives in front of you, please keep in mind the fact that WSDP has enormous practical value, that sometimes can only be measured in the lives of people like me — proof that you can make something out of nothing.
David Snyder
WSDP ‘82
On Dec. 19, 1980, history teacher Scott Beaman noticed me in the Plymouth Salem library, and asked what I was doing. My answer was, “nothing.”
In fact, “nothing” was my outlook in life. High school Junior: unmotivated, mediocre grades, no athlete or musician or artisan of any kind. Just one of hundreds upon hundreds at PCEP in that category.
Mr. Beaman (you can't call him anything but “Mr. Beaman”) looked at me for a moment and replied, “Follow me.” He left me in the WSDP general manager's office with Jeffrey Cardinal, John Seidelman, and Kathy Allen — all faculty members with formal duties at the radio station. I don't know what Mr. Beaman saw in me, other than a b-s'er, and perhaps that fits for the broadcasting profession. But they handed me a long roll of yellow UPI wire copy and told me to edit it and read it for an audition.
The next school year I was WSDP's news director. The year after that, I was working professionally in news radio, and 30 years later, I am a television news anchor in Florida.
I still have that UPI wire copy, now faded to a pale brown, still hastily marked up with my almost-juvenile pencil scrawls. A reminder that a high school radio station that some consider an extravagance, was absolutely vital to providing me a direction, a career, a life.
All of us who support WSDP recognize school board members have tough choices to make. None of us believe you would blithely cut funds for this program. But as you consider the difficult alternatives in front of you, please keep in mind the fact that WSDP has enormous practical value, that sometimes can only be measured in the lives of people like me — proof that you can make something out of nothing.
David Snyder
WSDP ‘82
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