But that’s about it for medals, once you get too old for either the Girl or Boy Scouts. And I think that‘s a mistake. People like medals – boys do, especially, and I think we need more of them.
So I am proposing establishing the Michigan Civilian Award for common sense under pressure, and I want to nominate a man I have never met, except in the pages of the Muskegon Chronicle newspaper.
Meet Calvin Cederquist, who they call “Hap.” He is a councilman in the small Muskegon suburb of Montague. That’s just down the road from another suburb called Whitehall. These aren’t teeming metropolises. Both towns have fewer than three thousand people each.
Yet, each has its own school system. That doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, frankly. These towns aren’t large enough to give their kids a full range of academic choices.
Back in 1990, those who cared about education were concerned about this. They decided to look into the possibility of consolidating the two districts. Their study was an eye-opener.
If the school operations merged, their high school students would have more than thirty new courses to choose from. Middle and elementary school kids would get more, too.
Consolidation was a no-brainer. They put it on the ballot, and the people overwhelmingly turned it down.
Why? Football. They have a historic small-town rivalry going. Justin Flynn, who was on Montague’s team then and still lives there now, tried to tell a reporter that “We thought our education system was better than theirs.
However, he added, “Football is everything in Montague.” Everything, that is, except education and jobs.
Times are worse today. The schools could save a lot of money and provide better education if they merged. But most local politicians fear the voters’ wrath.
Except, that is, for Hap Cederquist. “My feeling is the reason to have the schools is to educate the kids, not to have two schools or two football teams. I guess I’m naïve.” he told a reporter.
No, Mr. Cederquist. You are not naïve. You are a grownup, with your children’s interests in mind. We need leaders like you.
We need some creative problem solving here. Maybe they could combine the schools and still have two football teams.
Regardless, thirty years ago there were more than two million students in Michigan schools. Today, that number has declined by 350,000. Yet we have more schools than ever.
Thirty years ago, you could still get a good job even with a poor education. Not any more. Schools need to do whatever they can to rationally save money to protect the core mission.
And that would be … educating our kids. Thanks for the reality check, Mr. Cederquist. And have a nice day, wherever you are.
Confound it, Mr. Lessenberry, it's that damn special-interest group called "voters"; can't anything be done about them? If only they had known that a leading liberal journalist from Ann Arbor, via Detroit, had a better idea for them. Then, they might have understood.
Now that you are through with Whitehall and Montague, could you please fill us in on how much money those two systems are begging the state for, versus the Detroit Public Schools?
Posted by: Anonymous | August 29, 2007 at 05:44 PM
I grew up in Montague and attended those high school football games. I never missed one. It is too easy to blame football for the reason that we never consolidated. It wasn't the game that stopped it from happening - is is what the game stands for that stopped it.
Montague and Whitehall have their own identities. Whitehall is the city with their 2 stop lights and fast food joints. Montague the country with just one stop light and miles of corn fields. We are different. Our school are different. We play football differently. And in the end we understand loyalty that runs deeper than a football team.
I am proud to be from Montague and it isn't because of our football team. It isn't because we are one community that comes together every Friday night for a couple of months to watch some high school boys full of passion give it their all in the name of Montague. It is for all the other reasons - it is because even though I graduated 11 years ago the teachers still ask my mom about me. It is because my name is still in the trophy case in the agriscience room. It is because we have an agriscience room. It is because we look out for each other because we know each other. It is for Saturday morning at the farmers market making fun of the tourists. It is for Cruizin' on that hot July night when the whole town turns out for a celebration. Very little of it has to do with the football team - but in the end it is part of what connects us and gives us a sense of community and loyalty.
As for the actual schools - we might have ended up with more classes but we would have lost the connection that exists between teacher and student when the teacher has the time to make the investment. We didn't fall through the cracks - there were no cracks to fall into. In a time where students have lost faith in our elected officials, are frustrated by the lack of attention being paid to the environment and basically figure no one gives a crap out their future - it is nice to know that we are safe at school - that the teachers care - that in the end even if everything else goes you can always count on a football game Friday night. And that there are just 2500 hundred other people in the world who really get "it" at that very moment.
I have gone on in life to do some good things - I work for an environmental non-profit here in Michigan. It was my education at Montague that gave me the want to do more, be more and say more. I don't know if that would have happened had we joined forces with Whitehall. A little healthy rivalry never hurt anyone...Go Cats! Beat the Vikings!
Posted by: Abby | August 30, 2007 at 10:38 PM
Like Math 101....Small Town + Small Town = Small Minds!
Why not have one "White Lake Community Scools and Sports Teams?
Gee....Makes too much sense. Too much for the average Small-Towner to comprehend. Better not confuse the already confused!
Posted by: Noa Shita | September 04, 2007 at 10:41 AM
Sir:
Read with great interest your comments. I live in rural Nebraska, and the situation is exactly the same out here. In my local case, it is even worse then your situation. We have 4 towns within a 20 mile radius. The largest has 600 people and the others have 400 each, and each school stubbornly insists on keeping both a high school and grade school. And my taxes have gone up 50% in the past five years.
Sometimes I think these small town people are still stuck in the 1950's. Don't they realize that kids need a good education and the advantages that larger schools can give?
Posted by: zooeyhall | March 30, 2008 at 07:11 PM