Lucretia F. Edlow
The word hero needs much clarification. Some people claim that heroes no longer exist, while others claim that living and surviving in the inner city is an heroic act in itself. This section will focus on the hero within our youth. A hero is an ordinary individual who aspires and dreams, makes sacrifices, takes risks and conquers adversity, or it is a person who takes a stand and makes his position known and see his work to fruition. The students in the class will be called upon to wake up, use the biographical examples of their historical past, and proud heritage of struggle and achievement to bring out the hero within themselves.
Students will select from a menu of causes to champion which will be drawn from the following examples:
-
-Speaking out against violence, sex and profanity in our culture through public speaking in and out of the classroom
-
-Create a safe haven or forum within the school and suggest positive alternatives to the street by petitioning the administration for appropriate space and adult supervision.
-
-Encourage their church congregation to sponsor support groups to help parents and grandparents to become more effective parents through a letter writing campaign and/or prepared speeches before the local church congregation.
-
-Expand after-school tutoring and mentoring programs by soliciting individuals from the business community to more actively participate as mentors.
-
-Set up a voluntary gun drop-off point in conjunction with the local police and use of incentives from the business community.
The cause in which all the students will participate will involve the renovation efforts at the school in which they are in attendance. Recently money was allocated for renovation of several school within the New Haven System. Fair Haven Middle School, which tops the list as one of the oldest schools in the city and in dire need of repair was not included on the list.
The students will be inspired to use this omission as an inspiration to make the problems of their school known throughout the community and with the Board of Education itself. First the students will be encouraged to organize a petition to get signatures within the student body and the community, thus bringing the plight of the school to the forefront. Secondly the students will organize a rally at the school to inspire all the students to stand up and be counted. The Fair Haven section of the city has been overlooked and allowed to remain in disrepair, in spite of grant money to help build it up . The job of the students in this rally is to inspire all to work together in a common cause to better their circumstances by improving their community and school as well.
The culminating activity will take place as a “March on New Haven” where the students will, after having gone through the proper procedures, walk in parade style to a designated site within the community or the New Haven Green. Letters will be sent home to parents, ads will appear in the local newspaper and heard on the radio station calling for not only the student body but the community as well, to walk together, stand together, and listen to charges by chosen guest speakers.
Participants will be encouraged to make flags and banners to emphasize the importance of standing up and being counted. In addition family pride will be encouraged as parents will be asked to make a shield or banner to be displayed to show what they stand for as a unit. Guest speakers could possibly include the Superintendent of Schools, the Mayor, and/or others who have the power to help make our school and community a better place in which to live.
It is the hope that this unit will be taught in the spring semester and the march should take place on May 4, commemorating Law Day.
