Mayor hopefuls visit school

Last week a noteworthy event took place at the Clovis Municipal Schools Freshman Academy. The gym buzzed with eager anticipation, filled with the entire student body as the ninth-grade students awaited the five candidates for office of Clovis mayor in the upcoming election.

In the words of Principal John Howell, the idea was to host “the first ever mayoral forum for the upcoming mayoral election, the goal being for students to take part in the political process even though they’re not yet able to vote.”

The front of the gym had five podiums lined up for the candidates, decorated with posters, signs, and political bunting. At the center of the gym floor tables and chairs were filled with students and faculty who were involved in facilitating the event.

It was fascinating to sit amongst the students and listen in, shamelessly, to their comments and conversation. The talk was all about the forum and chit-chat about which candidate they were favoring.

As Principal Howell stepped up to launch the event, he described what was about to take place as well as the overall expectations. Not a debate, Howell explained that students had prepared specific questions, after discussing topics at school and with family at home; then, these were compiled and consolidated and presented by students. Each candidate had an opportunity to answer the same question, and students had prepared rebuttal questions.

The enthusiasm of the students was wonderful, but most remarkable was the rapt attention of the students, along with their responsiveness to remarks of the candidates. Howell’s freshmen truly demonstrated impeccable behavior throughout.

When complimenting Howell on the event, especially the students’ behavior, he immediately gave all the credit to his CHSFA Leadership Team, made up of Brian Pickard, Bekki Jones, Jon Nagel, Kym Cordova, Dustie Gonzalez, Amy Wyatt, Beth Anthony, Diane Miller and Chris Miller.

Reflecting on the event later in Howell’s office he talked more about his pride in CHSFA students and key elements in student development at this age, transitioning from a younger student to a more mature one. One example he mentioned was the “Winter Ball” they’ve held for the last three years at CHSFA.

A spectacular dance, sort of a pre-prom event, Howell commented on the not-surprising transformation of the hundreds of students attending. “Amazing how dressing up for a special event dramatically changes the way students conduct themselves,” he said.

Well done, CHSFA.

Cindy Kleyn-Kennedy is the instructional technology coordinator for Clovis Municipal Schools. She can be reached at:

[email protected]