[EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a Letter to the Editor, written and submitted by a verified resident. It represents the opinion of the author, and does not necessarily reflect the views of South King Media or its staff.]
As a Highline student, I can tell you that school buildings matter more than adults might think.
We are in these buildings everyday and they aren’t built for how we learn today. We are sitting in classrooms that get too hot or too cold. We are walking through crowded hallways. We notice when a building feels old or when something is not working the way it should.
I know school is not supposed to be perfect. I also know that teachers make the biggest difference. But the building still matters. It is hard to feel excited about learning when the place around you feels like it is old and behind.
Middle school is already stressful. You are trying to figure out your friends, your classes, your future and who you are. School is supposed to help you feel like you can try new things. It’s supposed to feel like a place where you can ask questions, work with other students and learn in ways that connect to real life.
I do not want students to keep waiting while adults argue about whether the buildings are bad enough yet. They are our schools now. We don’t get to come back later and do middle school over again in a better building.
Prop. 1 would help rebuild older middle schools and make them better for students. Prop. 2 would help with technology too, which matters because school does not work very well when the internet or systems are always having problems.
Highline students are doing our best. We just need schools that make learning easier, not harder.
Please vote yes on Prop. 1 and Prop. 2 by November 3 for the students who are in school right now.
– Austin Demps
Current Freshman, Mount Rainier High School
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