Youth activism is not dead. It just dozed off for a few decades.
Staples students worked feverishly all weekend, preparing for Monday’s 5 p.m. rally at Town Hall. The teenagers — in all 4 grades — hope a large turnout will draw attention to upcoming votes on the education budget.
Students were galvanized by the elimination of popular course offerings, decided earlier in the process. As the budget winds through the political process, more cuts — the specifics of which have not yet been announced — are imminent.
With RTM action still ahead, students — and adults who plan to attend the rally — want to focus town attention on the effects of budget cuts on classes, programs and personnel.
Monday’s rally will include a musical performance by Staples Players. The award-winning drama troupe fears a significant impact from further cuts. So do sports teams and clubs, many of which plan to attend the Town Hall event.
The ’00s are not the ’60s. Today’s students are not trying to stop a war or bring about civil rights.
Their concern is local — maintaining the high quality of a school system they love, have gotten a great deal from, and are proud of.
Somewhere along the way, that school system taught them something about history. And democracy.