Our 4th Graders Speak to The Sun Reporter

March 29, 2006

Dear Ms. Neufeld,
We, the fourth-grade class at New Song Academy, would like to thank you for writing the article about our school.

After we read your words, we sat in our morning circle and reflected:
Teyona scrunched up her face as she talked about how dirty her old school was.
Derrick remembered how he sat in the overcrowded classroom of his old school, not understanding his math, and wishing his teacher had the time to help him.
Kashai wondered aloud about equal education, “If we are to be treated like the other schools, then maybe we need to not come every day, not do our homework, and mess up our reputation so that we can get more money.”
What would we do without New Song?
Where would we go after school if we didn’t have basketball and violin?
Would we be in the streets?
Baltimore City says that they can’t give us extra funding because it wouldn’t be fair to other schools. Should we feel guilty about what we have worked so hard for? As one of our seventh graders pointed out in one morning assembly, “Why should we have to pay the consequences for being poor?”
A handful of students brought up the fact that one of the reasons their parents stay in Sandtown is so they can go to New Song. “If New Song closes, then my mom will probably move to the county.”
“I always thought the mayor wanted people to stay in the city.” I said out loud.
Then, we sat in silence, imagining “us” without each other.

We don’t know if we will continue, as a family, until we graduate from New Song. But we know that we will try our best to get there, together. Thank you for being part of that effort.

Respectfully,
Asaan Glover
Kashai Galloway
Demond Brown
Brooke Turner
Eric Miller
Daniel Whitehead
Antonio Sims
Tyron Edmonds
Daisha Faison
Tyrone DeShields
Teyona Griffith
Derrick Moore
Malika Brookes
Jaz’mon Churchill
Kathleen McCullough