Vice President of the Seventh Grade Class
As I entered the small room that local civic leaders were gathering in at Blackwell Institute, I was greeted by an eager Detroit Public School student.
“How do you do young man,” I said to the boy dressed in a blue sport coat and a tie dotted with pins of honor.
He responded with pride and confidence,“fine, thank you sir. Welcome to Blackwell Insititute. The meeting is taking place inside this room.”
“My name is Mike Brennan. What is your name?” I asked.
“Raheam Young.”
“Raheam, what grade are you in?”
“Seventh Grade, sir.”
“That pin on your collar….what does that stand for?”
“I am the Vice President of the Seventh Grade class.”
“Is that an office you run for.”
“Oh, yes. You are elected by your classmates. I love to campaign!”
“Really?”
With genuine conviction, he said, “And I love to give speeches.”
“Well you know, that is the number one fear in the world. Death is number three on the list. People would rather die than get up and give a speech to others.”
“Not me. I don’t get nervous.”
“Raheam, that is a gift. If you had an audience of 300, what would you like to give a speech on?”
Raheam paused and then said, “I would like to talk about the War in Iraq and about Global Warming.”
“Iraq and Global Warming?”
“Yes, that is what I would like to give a speech about.”
Think what you may about Detroit, Detroit Public Schools, and the range of issues facing all of us. But at that moment with that young man, I thought there isn’t a parent in the world who wouldn’t be proud. And it didn’t end with Raheam…..you saw excellence throughout the school of 700 students.
To a person, they all mentioned that excellence began at the top. And at the top of this school is Wilma Taylor - Costen, the principal. To learn more or to visit Blackwell, just click here. http://www.detroit.k12.mi.us/schools/index.php?schoolID=316
To learn more about other Good Schools in Detroit, go to: www.goodschoolsdetroit.org
Thanks for reading. Pass it on.
“How do you do young man,” I said to the boy dressed in a blue sport coat and a tie dotted with pins of honor.
He responded with pride and confidence,“fine, thank you sir. Welcome to Blackwell Insititute. The meeting is taking place inside this room.”
“My name is Mike Brennan. What is your name?” I asked.
“Raheam Young.”
“Raheam, what grade are you in?”
“Seventh Grade, sir.”
“That pin on your collar….what does that stand for?”
“I am the Vice President of the Seventh Grade class.”
“Is that an office you run for.”
“Oh, yes. You are elected by your classmates. I love to campaign!”
“Really?”
With genuine conviction, he said, “And I love to give speeches.”
“Well you know, that is the number one fear in the world. Death is number three on the list. People would rather die than get up and give a speech to others.”
“Not me. I don’t get nervous.”
“Raheam, that is a gift. If you had an audience of 300, what would you like to give a speech on?”
Raheam paused and then said, “I would like to talk about the War in Iraq and about Global Warming.”
“Iraq and Global Warming?”
“Yes, that is what I would like to give a speech about.”
Think what you may about Detroit, Detroit Public Schools, and the range of issues facing all of us. But at that moment with that young man, I thought there isn’t a parent in the world who wouldn’t be proud. And it didn’t end with Raheam…..you saw excellence throughout the school of 700 students.
To a person, they all mentioned that excellence began at the top. And at the top of this school is Wilma Taylor - Costen, the principal. To learn more or to visit Blackwell, just click here. http://www.detroit.k12.mi.us/schools/index.php?schoolID=316
To learn more about other Good Schools in Detroit, go to: www.goodschoolsdetroit.org
Thanks for reading. Pass it on.
