Heritage Assembly: A Recap

By: Jacqueline Brandano

On November 10th, teachers and students from all grades were bused over to the Eastern Avenue facility to listen to a presentation by Tom Birmingham. Topics of conversation included the importance of exercising citizenship and the history of charter schools.

One particularly motivational idea that he brought up was how our understanding of history greatly corresponds with practicing our right to voting. Mr. Birmingham talked about the general goal for public and charter schools across the nation- to teach us the best way to be active members in a democracy. They achieve this goal by teaching us about important government documents and inspiring us to use good virtues.

The second half of the assembly was an open discussion between the students and Mr. Birmingham. The topics discussed not only revolved around the importance of practicing citizenship, but also matters relating to Mystic Valley.

The students talked about traditions of our school compared to those of public schools as well schools in other countries and policies within the school. The most essential takeaway from the heritage assembly is to be aware of our rights as citizens by practicing our right to vote. While voting for presidential candidates is evidently in the hands of the electoral college and not individual votes, voting is important because it allows our voices to be heard. Voting is not just about electing a president, it also allows voters to vote on social issues.

However, voting is worthless unless you truly know what you are voting for, which shows how important it is to stay aware in current events and the capabilities of all candidates. Likewise, it is important to realize that people have made sacrifices in order for our voices to be heard, and to show our gratitude, we must practice that right.