Hillside students, teacher and parents gather in front of the school for a dance party to rally for public schools. (Photo by Tatyana Hicks, the Hillside Chronicle)
By: the Hillside High School Chronicle staff
On Monday, Nov. 4 Hillside joined many other schools in North Carolina in a “walk-in” for public education.
Parents, teachers and students gathered in front of the school at 6:45 a.m. to rally for public schools.
“Public education is at the root of our society’s problems, yet we still get treated like the ugly stepchildren,” Alec Greenwald, a Hillside history teacher, said.
North Carolina is ranked 48th in per-student spending, and the walk-in was just the beginning of a campaign to raise that ranking.
One of the main coordinators of the Hillside walk-in, Nicholas Graber-Grace, said supporters “will be working to push a campaign around the entire state to make sure that North Carolina raises its student spending to above the national average so that all students can have a high-quality education.”
In order to generate excitement for that campaign, Hillside decided to take a different approach to their walk-in by hosting a dance party dee-jayed by history teacher Bryan Proffitt.
Many people gathered in front of the school, dancing and having a good time.
“I thought that for it being really cold, that the turnout was really good,” Holly Jordan, a Hillside English teacher, said.
Many held signs to show support.
“Teachers need more money and their budget is being cut,” Hillside Junior Jacarri Mack said.