Sample Letters

The following letters are anonymous and included here with the author’s permission.

Letter #1

I am a supporter of The Spoke. I am writing to you regarding the proposed policy change of mandatory prior review. Based on the reading I have done of the proposed change, I am against the change.

The beauty of The Spoke is that it is a student publication. I feel I need the student point of view on many issues confronting the students at Conestoga. In fact, there are times I think the reporting is far superior to professional journalism. The reporting on statewide hiring practices was without a doubt the best source of information available to me. I look forward to reading every issue. I talk about issues with my husband. My son and I talk about articles in The Spoke. Isn’t this a sign that The Spoke in its current form is important and effective?

As a parent of a Conestoga student, I need to know about the world my son lives in during the vast majority of his waking hours. I need to know the pressures…the perspective…the mind set of segments of the student body….both the serious and funny elements of his experience. If the administrative staff at Conestoga or the district level “sanitizes” this information or censors important topics, that access to information I get from no other source is destroyed.

There are many ways the administration at Conestoga, the district staff and the school board can communicate their perspective to me. There is only one way for Conestoga students to share their perspective. It is through The Spoke.

I don’t want administrative “spin” from the Spoke. I want the truth of the student experience as they see it.

I am sure many parents are concerned about their child’s experience as a member of The Spoke staff and their learning experience as young journalists. Those concerns are valid and deserve your consideration. But, for me, the overriding reason to leave the current journalistic process in place is simple. It’s not broken. It’s working beautifully.

It may be uncomfortable at times that The Spoke delves into controversial topics. Rather than squirm, I implore you to allow the students this vehicle to make sense of the messy and complicated world these teenagers live in. We adults may just be better off, better informed, more open-minded and more sympathetic for their efforts.

Thank you for considering my thoughts on the future of The Spoke.