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.
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