Well, they've done it.
Finally, the school board is making a change and turning back to maintaining one of the best school districts in the country.
From those of who thrived under the unique policies of nearby Wake County school system, thank you to residents for voting, and thank you for voting sensibly.
Two years ago, Republicans were voted into the Wake County school board, creating a 5-4 majority against the Democrats. And throughout the past two years, this Republican majority pushed for major changes, one of the biggest of them regarding the school system's diversity policy and busing system.
This new majority wanted to redistrict students so they would attend their base school. In essence, this would segregate schools again in order to save money on busing and reduce students' commute time. But the community did not agree.
There was a two-year fight against this policy. I know, because I was a part of it. There were rallies and meetings. There were Facebook events and flyers made. There was a desire to keep the diversity policy that we had known and loved, and we weren't going to go down without a fight.
This story was heard all over the nation, in sources as diverse as the Los Angeles Times and the Huffington Post. Stephen Colbert also featured a segment about the district on his show on Comedy Central.
My high school, Enloe, has had a reputation for being one of the best public high schools in the state for quite a while. Its magnet program, which offers a special, more academically rigorous curriculum, buses in hundreds of students from all around Wake County, which creates for a very diverse student body. My elementary and middle schools were both structured in the same way. All three are great schools placed in poorer areas in Raleigh to have greater diversity, not just in race, but also in religious beliefs and socio-economic status.
I understand the meaning of diversity and its importance. One of my best friends growing up was black, and my prom date was Indian. But what does it matter? That was normal for me. It was normal for students who were lucky enough to attend one of these incredibly diverse schools. And this valuable learning experience was almost taken away from current and future students of Wake County.
To me, there was nothing greater in my secondary educational experience than the people that I had the honor of interacting with. Being a knowledgeable, global citizen is something that I know Elon aims for, and it is something every school should strive for by bringing diversity directly into the classroom. With 323 students from Wake County currently enrolled at Elon, according to the Fall 2011 Registrar Report, it is obvious that this issue impacts our students.
This is the second largest number of students from a county at Elon. Understanding and accepting diversity shouldn't be optional — it is a concept that each person and student should automatically be surrounded by, and a classroom is a great place to begin.
No student should be deprived of an education, and the best education starts with the understanding of the world around you, understanding the people around you. So again, I thank you Wake County. You have known the consequences of depriving students of the valuable lessons of acceptance and open mindedness, and voted for a change.
And now, with the majority reversed once more, it seems clear that residents of Wake County realize the benefit of this unique system and want to see it restored and preserved for years to come.