Take an active role in local education, now
Why support Libby schools? This is the easy question. One that can be answered in a million, or at least a few hundred, ways. For the sake of simplicity, how about supporting Libby schools because a quality education is the key to economic prosperity for Libby’s children, young adults and the Libby community itself.
Not convinced? According to the Alliance for Excellent Education, workers who did not graduate from high school have an unemployment rate that is twice as high as someone who has a high school diploma. According to the Montana Department of Corrections 2009 Biennial Report, nearly 80 percent of male inmates and 75 percent of female inmates at the Montana State Prison are high school dropouts. Unfortunately, there are volumes of statistics like these.
How can you personally support Libby’s schools? Almost as easy of a question, but it comes with an answer you might not be ready for: care. Simply stated, take an interest and be a positive voice in support of Libby students’ education. While the ideology of “education is important” is a great mindset, support requires action.
With that being said, Libby’s Graduation Matters team would like to invite you to join our efforts to increase the number of students who graduate, and who graduate ready for college and careers. During this school year, we are reaching out to the community with ways to get involved, including displaying Graduation Matters materials in your workplace, helping bring real-world learning opportunities into the classroom, volunteering for and participating in school events and more. If you are interested in partnering with or joining the Graduation Matters effort, please contact Libby Schools at 293-8811 for more information.
For now, let’s all make a concerted effort to let Libby students know that graduation does matter. Ask a student, “What are your plans for after high school?”, “What college do you hope to attend?”, and “What career are you interested in pursuing?”
(Brigid Burke is deputy director at Kootenai River Development Council.)