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Letters to the Editor

Community asked to pull together for schools

After reading the numerous articles, interviews, editorials and letters to the editors in The Inter-Mountain regarding the proposed closing of Pickens and Harman schools I decided to weigh in with some observations, questions and suggestions. I have over my adult life had a most pleasant interaction with present and former members of the Pickens area, as I have attended the ramp dinners, hunted the ridges and fished the streams therein. Not so much in the Harman area but I have fished Laurel, Gandy, Dry Fork and eaten at the local restaurants. Just over the hill, Hacker Valley School, ...

Lawmakers must look at school funding formula

It is beyond insulting, and borders on offensive, that one of the same tools the Republican super-majority in the WV Legislature has forged in its effort to sledgehammer to death public education in this state — “Charter Schools” — is the same tool Delegate Coop-Gonzalez suggests using to “fix” the “problem” of rural schools and in particular to address the proposed closure of Harman Schoo l(“Charter school in Harman?” — Nov. 14). Both schools, both Harman and Pickens, need to remain open as public schools, to serve their rural communities, and to provide for ...

BOE members who didn’t ride bus anger reader

I was extremely appalled reading the article in The Inter-Mountain concerning the bus run intended to simulate what K-12 students would experience if the Pickens School closes. The Pickens Local School Improvement Council planned and funded this return trip from Mill Creek, ending in Pickens, Helvetia and Czar, about a two-hour bus ride in good weather conditions. What angered me was the fact that Superintendent of Schools Dr. Shawn Dilly and only one Board of Education member, Ed Daniels, took advantage of this trip. Every Board member should have taken this trip to experience ...

Harman residents show support for their school

The very identity of the Harman community has been shaped around its elementary/high school. Parents, students and alumni have dedicated significant time, funds and efforts toward the betterment of this school, staging fundraisers and engaging in lifelong volunteer work to ensure our children have access to quality education, right here in our community. The school stands as a beacon, a point of convenience, in an area where the next accessible city or town is a treacherous 30-minute journey away, often crossing three mountains. Winter season render this path even more dangerous, to a ...

Results of the general election pleased reader

Well, readers, two Saturdays have gone by and there’s been nary a word in the letters section about the election, so I will proffer my comments lest this historic event fall down the rabbit hole and the Cheshire cat absconds with it. Not only did the nation benefit from the voters’ choices, West Virginia got a deal or two. I was absolutely delighted when Glenn Elliott was smoked by Governor Justice for U.S. Senate. I had written before that Elliott was a willing promoter of the big lie that Biden’s hands were tied when it came to border protection because the Republicans ...

Student nominated for statewide award

A student attending Davis & Elkins College, Hannah Phillips, an Elementary Education and Special Education major, has been nominated by the West Virginia Reading Association for the Outstanding Future Teacher Award. This award recognizes a full-time undergraduate student enrolled in a Teacher Education program at a college or university who demonstrates potential and promising qualities as a preservice teacher. This student is making notable progress toward becoming a skilled educator who understands the importance of effective literacy instruction, is dedicated to continuous ...