BHS Student Council Members Skype with Senator Manchin; Talk Education and West Virginia Events
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on January 22, 2015 via Connect-Bridgeport.com
SUBMITTED BY BHS JOURNALISM STUDENT, MAGGIE LOHMAN
How many high school students can say that they have had the opportunity to Skype with their state’s senator? Well, Bridgeport High School Student Body and Class officers can after doing just that on Wednesday, January 21. Students met with Senator Joe Manchin in the high school’s Distance Learning Lab to discuss concerns they had about their education and other events affecting West Virginia.
Jessica Sell, one of Manchin’s five regional coordinators, said that Manchin usually has one Skype meeting with a West Virginia high school once a month. When asked how Bridgeport was chosen for the January conference Sell explained, “We did a round table at Liberty High School last year and some Bridgeport students were a part of it. After that, we decided that we wanted to involve more students from the school. The teachers and principals were also very easy to work with while setting everything up.”
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During the meeting Mitchell Winkie, Paige Rice, Austin Williams, Kenzie Kress, and Molly Layne presented questions. These involved standardized testing, technology in the classroom, federal funding for college scholarships, teacher salaries, and job opportunities in West Virginia. These questions were prepared by Student Council officers during meetings held in preparation for the Skype conference.
One of the points that Manchin stressed the most was how important getting an education is and the value it holds. He explained that “education is the best investment you’ll ever make and the greatest equalizer there is. It helps to level the playing field.”
He also discussed how he hopes to help West Virginia, and ultimately the nation raise to a higher performance level in the classroom. “I want to know where you are on a national, even international scale.” His plan to gauge progress is to use one test that can be compared to other places in the world, instead of several different tests or the WESTEST that can only be compared to results in our home state.
Sell shared that being able to meet with high schools in this manner is a “good bridge” for them and Manchin. “It allows students to see things from his perspective. The technology we have is great because it shows students how available their politicians are. Manchin wants to empower students and these meetings help him to do that.”
Student responses showed that many appreciated this fact. Hannah Fetty said, “It was an honor to speak with a senator from our state. It was nice that he was able to take time to speak with us.”
Rice was also grateful for Manchin’s encouragement and the chance to be part of the opportunity. “I thought it was a great experience for our student government to talk to Senator Manchin one-on-one and hear his thoughts and ideas concerning the future of West Virginia and its educational system. It was nice to see how he cares.”
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In addition to learning more about plans for education, the meeting also gave the group a chance to be a part of real government. Jacob Love felt that “it did a lot for us as part of student council in that it helped us see what government is really like. We have our student government but Senator Manchin is part of the real deal, and to see how he among other governmental representatives conduct themselves and the way they think through issues was pretty interesting. I also enjoyed being able to see his perspective on everything and how they’re handling issues in Washington in regards to education.”
“Senator Manchin was very kind in listening to our questions and explaining to us the future of education as well as everything that’s in store for us as the rising leaders of tomorrow,” said Winkie. As Manchin quoted his grandfather at the end of the meeting, “Life is like a bank. You can’t take out more than you put in.”
Editor’s Note:Pictures by Noah Hall and Timothy Eschenmann. Pictured first, Paige Rice is directing her question to the Senator whom you can see on the right. Second picture, council members in the audience. Story and photos done by BHS Journalism Department under the direction of Mrs. Alice Rowe. All content submitted and was not assigned by Connect-Bridgeport.
