Will Amari 

5/12/13

Silver 

To whom it may concern, 

I’ve been attending school for eleven years now and I’m proud to say that I still enjoy it. School for me is a symbol of education and with out it, there will be no sense of ideal order. I desire knowledge, not because my parents want me to, but because I choose to be an intellectual and I choose to help the world. I don’t plan on dropping out. I don’t plan on breaking the law. I don’t plan on becoming a DJ. I want to write. I want to write because I love art. I don’t care If I become famous. I don’t care about money. I’m not asking for that. I’m asking to study art. 

Art is the reason why I show up to class everyday, it is the reason why I get As, it is the reason why I’m not totally depressed or dysfunctional or discombobulated. In fact, if I am ever tired in the morning, it is because I stayed up all night reading, writing, watching Annie Hall, and playing music. I would like to study art all my life, but sadly this request had been threatened due to the possibility of budget cuts. I am scared and concerned, not just for my future, but for everyones future . I look around my classroom, and see nothing more then intellectual individuals, with passions different and similar to mine. Everyday I hope they succeed, as much as I wish for myself to do the same. I can’t even imagine school with no courses, clubs, or activities. The thought of it sounds like a nightmare. 

So don’t fund our schools for me. Fund our schools for us. We are the future, and there is nothing to be afraid of. Don’t make school a Kalfkaesque Experience. Make it an opportunity for me, my friends, or anyone to become the next Hemingway or Einstein. Make it an opportunity for opportunity. I promise you, education is nothing to be afraid of. Taking away education... now thats scary!

Sincerely, 

Anonymous Individual number 667-349 

To Whom it May ​Concern:

My name is Jasmine Nieves and I am a sophomore at Science Leadership Academy High School. I support education very deeply. It helps everybody in life. Since I came to this school, I was expecting this to happen because I loved the school very much because of all the teachers. They had helped us along the way for these past two years. Now that it gets to me about these cuts on school budgets, I would like to spread the word about them. Students need teachers in their lives and students need everybody from the staff that belongs to the school. The people who are standing outside protesting for these things, have important things on their minds including this, to finally conquer with. Nobody wants to be cut or laid off of their jobs. They enjoy doing it so much, they can’t think of anything else on their minds other than what they are doing right now, this instant which is working at schools. 

Life without teachers could ruin a students life. Not really their whole life but in how smart they are. Some of the classes that are in schools, are some kids favorites. Without as much education, people may not know all the things they would have known with the teachers. The schools would be all lonely without out with what teachers what the teachers want. Teachers want kids to learn and develop a strong scene of smartness in their life from learning. Kids would learn themselves but not know what to teach or talk about with each other. Even though there might be some teachers at schools, don't get rid of their job which is to be a teacher. They are trying their best for us and the school. When we go to trips we have to give them money for it. Life without teachers is like seniors in high school or older students in elementary, middle or in college leaving us because they helped us along the way and gave good advice just like teachers and now their career or most of their career is about to end. If you care about schools, don't have budget cuts for schools. You should just take a minute, if possible, and try to help them. 

They are just as worthy as we are. All teachers and all staff are innocent. You could just tell from their faces and tell they don't ever want to give up what they love. Just look at the counselors, they helped us along the way too. They are just as good as teachers and as we are. Actually, most of are all innocent as long as we don't do anything bad such as destroying buildings while protesting. That's why so many teachers have protested with their students because they know how important it is to them and the students. The students and the staff are all on the backs of teachers, nurse and counselors. if protestors try to get rid of the nurses, we wouldn't know how to feel better at school or know what to do when we don't feel good or when we are sick. All these people at are schools just want us to have a good education and not a bad one. The decision some protestors are making could open up more minds than there is now to have a larger revolt and revolution to change from having budget cuts to no budget cuts in schools. Everything in schools is important to everybody who goes to it.

If there would still be budget cuts, all of our lives and all the teachers and staffs career and jobs could go right down the drain. Both students, parents and all staff would like to be heard and here is my voice. Here me now, or see all staff at schools including teachers with no jobs, no money and laid off from work as if they were on a strike. This is what everybody wants and not the opposite which is the budget cuts. This is what everybody is trying to say. So please don't take it away from them. Classes would be shorter than the double classes such as if a teacher were to work as a Drama and English teacher and the budget cuts cut it in half and now the teacher is working only for the English Class.  Teachers and adults have the right to teach what they want to the students as long as its appropriate and students are most definitely to learn it. 

Without any of these people, we wouldn’t be the smart people that we are today. Change the world and not have school budget cuts but just school budgets. They are important to the staff but its also important to the students because they know how hard it can be when teachers or any part of the school staff loses their job because they have protested so many times already. Listen to their hearts because they don’t want the worst to come after them and the staff. They love the school and so do we. Us students would do anything to make these things subside even if we tried. Be a leader and not let schools more and more of these cuts. If you were still young and in a public school, what would you do? 

Help stop the budget cuts or just continue to make it a big issue. If I were you, I would bring on a fresh face and and make this brand new to people because they have a life and their life depends on teaching and helping the schools. Schools also wouldn’t be safe without most of these adults there because, who else other than family, are we going to learn from. Make a smart move and move forward. Give back the things taken away, and again, make a smart move.  That‘s all we ask of you. We all don’t like the idea but if you still want to go along with your idea, it wouldn’t be the same as now, it will be different. This is much respected and it is to support the students who are fighting for the same cause. Take a stand and join with us while our chance is slowing drifting away. This is my protest again school budget cuts.

To whom it may concern,

My name is Alex Marothy, a Sophomore at Science Leadership Academy, and I respect education. I value learning over many things. Not only do I myself love to learn, but I equally enjoy seeing others around me benefit and grow from the programs every school offers. Each student has their own unique passion, and the allowance of their academic growth through that passion is a beautiful thing. I am deeply saddened by the threatened loss of these possibilities, for without that flare in a student's day, their education loses all value. Such a tragedy I cannot comprehend, and so I implore you to do what you can. Whatever is in your power to do, whatever actions you can take, do so for the children you've never met, but who mean so much. For we are the future, and a budget cut today means inevitable unraveling tomorrow.

​I am a sophomore in SLA and I came to SLA to learn in an environment that I fell in love in. If the budget will be cut further, the laptops to enhance learning experiences and different electives that would help me decide my future career would disappear. I applied for Digital Video and Advance Engineering for my junior year. Would I be able to take these classes? If not, then what is school's purpose anyway? Isn't it to teach future leaders? Then, why is this budget cut will potentially prevents me from being an renown photographer or engineer? I think that every children should have the basic opportunity to tried out things that they want to do in the future. Saying that Philadelphia is an underdeveloped educational institution or any other reason isn't enough to let the government have a cold or negative response to Mayer Nutter's proposal on recovering budget.

I really want to spend my next two years in Science Leadership Academy in an environment that this school could give me in the best of its ability, not a backslash that will turn my last two years in this wonderful school into a nightmare filled with regrets.  

I find it very interesting that people, specifically adults, are constantly telling younger children that their education is important and that is important to figure out what you want to do with your life so that we can help better America's future however, they take away things that we students need the most. School is not supposed to be a place where all you do is math,english,history and science. School is supposed to help students figure out what they a have a passion for while gaining knowledge necessary to get a great career in what ever field it is that we are passionate about. The idea of SLA without electives is absolutely crazy. I know that if sports and electives are taken out, more kids will begin to drop out of high school. I think we all need to figure out away to ration the money better so that schools can continue to have electives and sports. In my opinion school is the MOST important thing in my life and without proper education the probability of me becoming a unique and helpful part of civilization is very slim. It's a shame that some people honestly believe it is a good idea to drop school budget down 300 million dollars. I'm terrified of what school will be like next year if my school looses out on 17,000 dollars. We are the future of America. Without education what will we be or better yet, what will America be?  However, I do understand why some may believe that this is necessary. I have noticed that a lot of people believe Philadelphia is becoming a waste land and that there is no point in helping people who seem to not really care about their education. I just feel badly because I do understand that there are people in Philly who really want to succeed but can get their voices heard. 

​To whom it may concern, 
   

I wanted to talk about the budget cuts and how they shouldn't happen from my point of view. I am a student from Science Leadership Academy who loves playing sports and trying new things. With the budget cuts, after school activities, and sports programs would be abolished. This year I started playing this cool sport called Ultimate Frisbee which my friends and principle got me into. I wouldn't want this to be taken from me because it has really been a stress release and a great way to stay in shape. I work to get better in this sport and am dedicated to my school's team. From this I keep up my grades so I will be able to play. With the budget cuts all my hard work and dedication would have been for nothing. Also, with the abolishments of after school activities in the city of Philadelphia more students from all over would be wondering the streets instead of being productive, and this would cause more "flash mobs", and fights in our city. I hope you understand that the students of Philadelphia including myself truly needs sports programs. Thank you for your time and consideration and hopefully change can be made 

-Pierce Luck