To: State of West Virginia Board of Education, Michael J. Martirano, State Superintendent of Schools, The West Virginia State House, The West Virginia State Senate, and Governor Jim Justice
Keep Richwood Schools in Richwood!
Do Not Consolidate Richwood and Nicholas County Schools! Leave Richwood's Schools in Richwood! Let us Keep the Heart of our City!
Why is this important?
Richwood was devastated by the 1000 year floods that hit West Virginia in June 2016. We've all come together and are winning the fight of our lives to rebuild. FEMA has promised to build us a shiny new High School and Middle School, but now the County BOE superintendent wants to SHUT DOWN RMS and RHS and bus our children across our very large county to a NEW consolidated School that none of us want. Nicholas County is the fifth largest county in the state, 638 square miles.
We are plenty large enough to hold two combination High Schools and Middle Schools. If we are to combine schools, let's combine our high school with our middle school. Large consolidated schools have been proven in many studies to fail students from poor or rural backgrounds. There is a much higher rate of failure for children bused out of their community and a much higher dropout rate for these students as well. Our students would have to ride the bus at least 29 miles morning and afternoon over winding rural roads, dangerous in the snow (of which Nicholas County gets a lot). It has happened often that there was 3" of snow in Richwood when Summersville got only a dusting.
Richwood High School has won awards for its academic excellence (US News & World Reports List of Best High Schools for AP participation and success). We are especially very proud of our music program with its award winning, multi-state competing and traveling marching band, The Lumberjack Express. Our Middle and High Schools are the very Heart of our little City. It would cause irreparable educational and economic damage to us all if we were to lose our beloved hometown schools.
We are plenty large enough to hold two combination High Schools and Middle Schools. If we are to combine schools, let's combine our high school with our middle school. Large consolidated schools have been proven in many studies to fail students from poor or rural backgrounds. There is a much higher rate of failure for children bused out of their community and a much higher dropout rate for these students as well. Our students would have to ride the bus at least 29 miles morning and afternoon over winding rural roads, dangerous in the snow (of which Nicholas County gets a lot). It has happened often that there was 3" of snow in Richwood when Summersville got only a dusting.
Richwood High School has won awards for its academic excellence (US News & World Reports List of Best High Schools for AP participation and success). We are especially very proud of our music program with its award winning, multi-state competing and traveling marching band, The Lumberjack Express. Our Middle and High Schools are the very Heart of our little City. It would cause irreparable educational and economic damage to us all if we were to lose our beloved hometown schools.