Letter to the editor:
Miracles happen every day.
Uncle Archie was proof positive of that having survived mustard gas to the ripe old age of 93.
Survival of our swimming hole may require getting some priorities in order.
Whitewater’s school system was once the pride of academics and championship sports teams, revered by most all of the conference. Instead we are now in a race to the bottom of both. Second from the bottom in ACT scores and well near the bottom in almost every athletic capacity.
Achievement in sports and getting good grades are often linked closely together. Neither seems to be taking place here. Is it because of a lack of sound culture and low morale?
Wisconsin’s state goal for public instruction turnover is between 7-10%. Whitewater’s rate of faculty and staff turnover is literally unforgivable with a frequency rate of 25% just in the last year.
Three-year-olds have now joined our 4-K program creating additional frustration for teachers to properly message the 4-year-olds.
Attempts were made to remove recognition for Valedictorian. Was that because no one should be determined a winner for effort and hard work?
In our school system, rather than a focus on achievement, being held to a high standard, and soaring at writing, reading and math, a bolder emphasis has been thrust into gender identity, pronoun identity and cancel culture. Equity, diversity, and inclusion are now the new order, the premiere priority. It seems we are losing something in this process. We are sure losing teachers, we’re losing academics, we’re losing at sports. Are we losing our schools?
Somehow, by the grace of God, we spent $2 million worth of Covid relief money on athletic fields to revive a failing sports program. There has to be a way to save our aquatic center that has become the godsend and life-saving amenity for so many in our community.
At our city council-school board civic engage meeting held Thursday, March 2, in hopes for a miracle, there was a wide range of support from community members to defend the saving of our aquatic center. Based on the muted, apathetic lack of response and feedback from our city council and from our school board members at the end of the meeting, it may take just that to save the Whitewater Aquatic Center — A Miracle!
Geoff Hale
Whitewater
File photo.
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