DV Alum Sounds Off for Fisher, Greenlaw, Lutfy, Pike and Schor

To the editor: 
 
As an alumnus of the Delaware Valley School District, I would like to voice my support for Jack Fisher, Bill Greenlaw, Pam Lutfy, Chuck Pike and Sue Schor in the upcoming school board election. 
 
I am currently studying history at Boston College in Chestnut Hill Massachusetts. In addition to stressing the importance of academic excellence, my university promotes a well rounded student with a particular emphasis on involvement in the school’s clubs and community organizations. At school I am involved in a variety of these activities. I am a member of the rugby team and serve on the executive board as the secretary of communications. I am also a Big Brother to an elementary school student in Brighton. Between my classes, I work in the history department as a student work study secretary. After interning at Grey Towers National Historic Site in Milford last summer, I will be spending this summer in Boston working at the Boston National Historical Park as a Park Ranger. In the future, I hope to further my education at a graduate school before entering the work force. Today, I attribute my success to the overall experience I had at Delaware Valley High school. With the support of my teachers and coaches, I was able to excel in any situation, in the classroom, on the field, or in front of a national audience. I would not be prepared for life's journey if I had not been offered the educational opportunities that these candidates ensure our students. 
 
At DV I enjoyed many challenging classes but also countless opportunities to be involved after and during school. While I played soccer for all four years of high school it was the other clubs, such as Odyssey of the Mind and Model United Nations that taught me the skills I use everyday. Odyssey of the Mind fosters creativity and teamwork. With the schools support, I was fortunate enough to travel to the Worlds Competition on two occasions on the Vehicle Team. Model UN offers unique chances to practice critical reading, public speaking, and intensive writing. Every year we held in-house sessions at DV but also traveled to a competition sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. These clubs helped me become further involved with an American Legion sponsored event called Boys State. From Boys State, I was selected as one of the two senators, along with another DV alum, to participate in Boys Nation in Washington D.C. This résumé of involvement, not my SAT scores, is what gave me an advantage when I applied to colleges. Without the support and funding from the School Board, I would have had a completely different high school and conceivably college experience. The current students of the Delaware Valley School District deserve these same opportunities as I did. Without the right people on the board, clubs like Odyssey of the Mind and Model United Nations will suffer due to the lack of funds. Jack Fisher, Bill Greenlaw, Pam Lutfy, Chuck Pike and Sue Schor support these chances for students to grow and learn both inside and outside the classroom. 
 
We should make sure that the future generations of Delaware Valley are offered the best educational and extra-curricular opportunities. These candidates make education and the student’s well-being their priority and deserve your vote. On May 19 please vote Fisher, Greenlaw, Lutfy, Pike and Schor for DV school board. 
 
Respectfully, 
 
Eric Neumann 
Delaware Valley '07 
Boston College '11 
Milford PA