Lyrics

"I stand as a good example..."
[Adam Victor Lattimore, Westerville North Senior]

How's everybody doing today? First of all let me say good afternoon, everyone. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Adam Victor Lattimore, but I prefer to be called aVL. When I was first asked to speak at this rally, I wasn't quite sure of what I wanted say. So after a little thought, I decided I should just share my thoughts as of late and my perspective as it pertains to the levy. So you can truly understand where I'm coming from, I'm going to give you a little background on myself. I'm not originally from around here. I was born in Syracuse, New York. My family moved here to Westerville when I was four years old. I began my formal education at a private school in Worthington. I transferred to the public system in seventh grade. I wasn't quite sure what to expect; but what I got was a life-altering experience. Now granted, it hasn't all been good. We all have our rough days, but those days seem miniscule when weighed against the positive impact this experience carries with it. I hadn't been a very motivated student going into the seventh grade, but because of the dedication of the staff that I encountered and the programs and activities that were made available to me, I did a complete turn around. My quest for knowledge continued in high school just as enthusiastically as I had left middle school. I found myself in the company of not only amazing students and staff, arguably the best in the world, but I also was introduced to a list of classes, clubs, activities, and sports to numerable to count. The plethora of available options included the likes of advanced placement classes, service organizations and championship winning teams. It was clear to me that this district realizes that to properly invest in our future, they have to provide us with a chance to explore many of our interests. It saddens me to think that there is a possibility that some of those same doors I chose to walk through will be closed to the students yet to come. It would be ideal if these things could be run by just the sheer dedication of the people working for this school district, but unfortunately that's not the way things are. Money makes the world go round; it's no different here in Westerville. The debate is over monetary resources, one that I can't fully understand. For a person to say "No, I won't invest X amount of dollars into the future of this country, tomorrow's doctors, lawyers, politicians, business owners..." and the list goes on. This community has built a reputation of being a good place to raise a family, but you can't raise a family without educating your youth to the best of his/her abilities. I feel I stand as a good example of what this school district can produce. Now, of course, I haven't graduated yet and ventured off into the world to do big things; but I feel it, I'm not the same man I use to be! I've got dreams larger than life and I'm going to work hard to reach them. Now I entrust with all of you the mission to go out and let the people of this community know that we understand and appreciate what they have given in the past, and hope that they will continue to give in the future. And, when you encounter those people that may not have children and they ask why they should be concerned with what the schools are doing, ask them to consider the probability that someone affecting their daily life is a product of the public schools; it could be the family doctor or dentist, a legal consultant, or a financial consultant. Show them the real needs we face right now. Thank You.