… Editorial: Hold on
to North Rowan High

As someone who grew up in Rowan and has seen how things work in other areas of the country, I think that closing North would be a huge mistake.

The pedagogical value of having strong community involvement is well-established in the literature of education, as is the leverage to be gained when adolescents can see the role of community for themselves.

I hope that the school board will take this opportunity to reinvigorate a model school and community instead of taking the “easier” option.

— Timothy Michael

It’s time for the school board to finally do something right for North. The declining enrollment is because past school boards have refused to redistrict, along with allowing students to transfer to “academies,” while refusing to give North an exclusive academy.

Our students deserve to go to school in a new facility, not be transferred to another old facility. North, West, East and South were all built within three years of each other, and Salisbury was built in 1925.

North students deserve equal treatment. They should not be split up and sent all over the county to schools where they are not wanted.

— Carol Everhart

North is a vital cog of the school system, and there are very easy fixes that can be done, such as the ones outlined at the end of the article.

North and the community are one in the same. I hope the superintendent’s team and school board will start to understand that.

— Kyle Huffman

… Grassroots group meets to save North Rowan

God bless these citizens. While I think North is probably going to close, what I hope to see from the other high schools is a “love thy neighbor” approach to accepting North students into their classrooms.

Of course, another possibility is a charter high school opening up in the area to take some of North’s secondary education population.

Hmmm. Has the idea been floated of making Spencer its own school district?

— James Bucky Carter

I do not feel this will happen. What about the hard work of the students attending NRHS? How is this merger going to affect their rank, possibilities for scholarships that they have been working toward? What about the athletes?

All these students will be dispersed into other schools that have established programs, booster clubs, PTAs. Those students have worked hard for their ranks, places on cheerleading squads, athletic teams. Do you truly believe that North Rowan students will be given the opportunity to replace another cheerleader or athlete for position?

Do you truly think that one of the students at the other schools could step down in class rank for a student being forced to merge there? No, this is not good for any of these children.

If they take North away, they should replace something in this community. Why spend tons of money on a school older than the one they wish to tear down? All other schools in this county were built within a couple of years of one another.

If they are taking the school out of this community, they need to replace it with something better. They do not have the needs of any child at heart.

— Sherry Morgan

So proud of Craig Pierce to get involved. My prayers for Kevin Jones to have the strength to carry this through. Yes, my letter will be in the mail ASAP.

— Kevin Leichnam

… My Turn, Ella Jones: Save our school

I do not know this young lady, but I have to say that she did a wonderful job with expressing her concerns. The students in the North Rowan community deserve the same opportunities that students at other schools have always been given.

Great job!

— Laura Braun

How does a seventh- grader understand something adults — including seven school board members and a superintendent — do not understand? By listening with selective hearing, I suppose.

— Theo Flemming

… West Rowan consolidation meeting draws small crowd

Bigger is not better. Proven many times. Consolidation takes away the community involvement in the “local” school system. Baaaaaddddd idea.

— Billie Kline

… Trump’s biggest
con job? Tax cuts

Yes, the tax scam was a huge con job by Trump and the GOP counterparts. The biggest con job has to be the job Trump did on the voters with the aid of Putin to gain the presidency with his flimflam and lies.

— Pat Bullard

I call it the Republican flimflam tax bamboozle of 2017.

— William H. Moffitt

I have two comments to make about this con job.

1. If you have any doubts about who the tax breaks benefit, April 15, 2019, will be a wake-up call for the regular tax payer.

2. If there are border walls to be built, increases in heath care costs, solutions to the drug and gun death epidemic, and recovery from the fake economy, they should be paid for by the trillionaires who got the tax break on the backs of the rest of us pay, because we are tapped out.

— Reginald Brown

Wrong.

— Paul Sofia

… Other Voices: Syria pullout is a big mistake

We’ve also been supporting the Kurdish fighters against ISIS, and they’ve been an integral part of our strategy in the region. However, Turkey sees them as a threat and intends to launch a full-scale attack against the Kurds. With the U.S. pulling out, our troops get out of the way of one of our allies attacking one of our other allies.

— Eric Shock

… Letter: Time was, we sought unity

Have you ever known a Yankee who was tolerant of Southerners? I look forward to finding Clyde’s dig at Yankees in each of his columns.

— Donna Poteat

… Preservation soldier: Black made volunteering for Historic Salisbury
his calling

A true American hero and friend of Salisbury. He will be missed.

— Gene Krueger

One of the good guys!

— Joe Morris

A life well lived. Doug will be missed.

— Michael S. Young

Thank you for this great tribute to my father. Your kindness is greatly appreciated.

— Michael Black

… Letter: Put politics aside for the holiday

Count me in.

— Bruce LaRue