| Show LETTERS LEnERS TO THE EDITOR EDITO Bus Students Second Class Citizens Citizens' Dear Editor In this day and age the wisdom wisdom wis wis- dom of school consolidation is seldom questioned We cannot cannot can can- not go back to the room one-room school or expect to give a high school student a proper schedule ache ache- dule in an enrollment of 27 children Good roads and dependable dependable de de- buses can transport children from long distances of efficiently However in bringing children children child child- ren together from wide areas we have overlooked the rights of these same children to participate participate par par- fully in all phases of the school program Having lived in Bonanza these last three years I have seen boys who wanted to play football give up the dream because because be be- cause there was no way to arrange arrange ar ar- range transportation My own daughters have been fortunate to find hospitable homes which offered bed and board many nights so that the girls might participate in some extracurricular extracurricular extra cur activities They had to forego others Many times s they have ridden the miners' miners bus home getting to bed after 11 p pm p.m. m. m and getting up at 6 am a.m. the next mornin morning If school activities are worth worthwhile worthwhile worthwhile while and most of them certainly certainly cerA are why is time not provided during the school day Even if the school day needed needed need need- ed an extra half hour it seems to me some imagination in scheduling could be exercised so that bus students are not excluded More than once my children child child- Iren ren have made arrangements to stay overnight for an activity act act- that lasted 20 minutes and accomplished little or no no- thing I took band students to toan toan Ian an early morning practice which necessitated our rising gat at a am a.m. m. m Students who lived liv liv- ed near school strolled in for thirty minutes after the 7 am a.m. I meeting time and often the time amounted to tolless less than a a half half hour This seems to be a tremendous efI effort ef ef- I fort for little result Uintah High School chool students have the wonderful opportunity ity ity to attend Model United Nations Na Na- each spring in Salt Lake City Yet they go poorly prepared pre pre- 11 pared because time for study is not allowed on class time Shut but in short ill prepared ill meetings meet meet- Sings ings ing At one Salt Lake High School Skyline offers this club las as a World Problems class in inthe inthe line the social studies curriculum S Would this be at h High School We seem to feel Student Council worthwhile worth worth- I while enough as an exercise In MI c f t to te allow school time for it to tion The next generation will witt certainly need some knowledge in international relations The parents of one kinder kinder- from Bonanza made arrangements this year at their own expense so that he might be supervised until bus time I understand that next year ear there are four or five whose parents have asked the district to provide provide pro pro- vide an early bus in the afternoon afternoon after after- noon so that their children might enroll in kindergarten They have been told kindergarten kindergarten kinder kinder- garten is not required If anyone anyone any any- one needs kindergarten it lathe Is la- the c child ild living laying in an In Is isolated area We are really saying to to- bus students You are second second- class citizens citizens' I do not write these things because we happen to be moving moving ing from this thin ar area a I know that bus students student face the same problems all ove over n t mot t in Iq the Uintah Basin Bashi but Im if teachers teachers teach teach- ers and parents and administrators administrators administrators adminis adminis- want changes they can be made and I hope Vernal will be one of the leaders in developing a new approach for foran foran foran an activities program that includes includes in in- all students Yours very verr truly Ato- Ato f f P P m ici r |
