Community leaders listen to students’ views,
opinions
Kristin Edwards
The Huntsville Item
The voices and opinions of Huntsville middle and high school students were given
direct attention Thursday afternoon at the Huntsville Youth Council Teen Forum.
The event, held in the Walker Education Center, provided an opportunity for the
students to converse with three panels of community leaders about issues
affecting teens.
“Too many times as adults, we presume to know what students want and need,” said
Scott Atnip, executive director of Huntsville’s Promise. “This is an opportunity
for us to listen and respond to what they have to say.”
Bianca Dennis, community chair for the teen forum and member of the Huntsville
Youth Council leadership team, hoped students would “come out and talk about
what changes they wanted to see happen.”
“I’m hoping they got good responses so they won’t go home feeling like they have
unanswered questions,” she said.
The first panel discussed issues related to local schools.
Questions arose concerning the need for additional sidewalks and the safety of
school crosswalks.
The panelists, including assistant superintendent John DeBrock, responded with
information concerning plans to redesign the intersection at Hornet Way, one of
the areas of concern.
“This summer, we may make a raised crosswalk so that cars will have to slow down
when they come to it,” DeBrock said. “That way, students will be more aware that
it’s there, as well.”
Liliana Zapatero, a seventh-grader, expressed concern about why bus drivers
aren’t “more attentive” on the trips to and from school, citing specific
disagreements during which the drivers didn’t respond.
“I drove a school bus for five years, and I can tell you that it’s difficult to
drive that big bus and watch 50 to 60 kids,” DeBrock said. “It’s really not
safe, and that’s the main reason we have those video cameras on the buses.
“We have someone whose job it is to review those tapes, and they end up seeing
things that the bus driver couldn’t have seen.”
Another question was entered by seventh-grade student Sarah Countryman.
She asked why there was not better security on school grounds in the afternoons,
since she had seen students “with knives and lighters.”
“We can’t do anything unless we know,” said Sgt. David O’Rear, school resource
officer with the Huntsville Police Department. “When you see something like
that, tell someone so we can get involved. We will deal with it when we know
about it.”
The second panel focused on community issues and dealt with questions concerning
future plans for growth in the area, including the possibility of building a
bigger library for the community.
“We just completed a comprehensive plan for the city for the next 20 years, and
a library is in that plan,” said Mac Woodward, Huntsville City Council member.
“In the next budget year, we will do a feasibility study to determine where that
library would be, its size and its components. The community will have to be a
part of that decision.”
Other questions for the community panel focused on charity opportunities, the
possibility of new sports fields and several questions about the construction of
a Target department store.
Students wanted to know if the store was really going to be built, how it would
help the economy and if the youth would have a way to be involved with the store
itself.
“Two agreements the developer needed were just passed in the council, so it’s
moving forward,” Woodward said. “If we have a Target here, it will create 350
new jobs, some of which will be available to the youth of the community.”
The final panel included leaders of youth programs, who answered questions
regarding activities for older Huntsville youth that take place during the
summer and the school years, a primary concern for several students.
“I’m interested in finding out about plans to start youth activities you can
actually do in the community,” said Kevin Prier, Huntsville Youth Council
co-chair.
Josh Holden, program director at Walker County YMCA, provided information on a
teen center that the organization sponsors for older students.
“Students in the seventh- to ninth-grades meet in the commons area at Mance Park
and walk with counselors to the teen center,” he said. “There are activities,
devotions, basketball games, pool tables and computers that students can use for
homework.”
Stephanie Brim, Huntsville Community Service director, commented on the need for
students to let organizations know how they can be reached and surveyed about
what kind of entertainment possibilities they would enjoy.
She recommended using the city Web site, http://www.huntsvilletx.gov, to make
suggestions.
“We’ve tried to branch out and reach out to high school students,” Brim said.
“Some things we’re planning on doing are a ‘dive-in movie,’ where we’d show a
movie at the pool, a ropes course, and a hike and bike trail.”
The event closed with an open mic segment, during which students had the
“opportunity to share their vision for Huntsville for the next five years.”
Seventh-grader Angelica Cortez made a statement that received unanimous applause
and agreement throughout the mixed audience.
“When people think about Huntsville, they think about an execution place,” she
said. “I want people to think about Huntsville as a fun, educational town that
doesn’t just listen to adults, but listens to kids, too.”
The forum was co-sponsored by the Huntsville Youth Council, the Boys & Girls
Club of Walker County, CASA of Walker County, Huntsville’s Promise and the
Huntsville Family YMCA.
Huntsville Item, 05.11.07
Huntsville's Promise