Pocahontas students are family

Bluefield Daily Telegraph

March 24, 2008 06:58 pm

— I am a 2002 graduate of Pocahontas High School and an area resident that is strongly against the closing of “our” school.
In response to what Cookie Johnson said about the kids from Pocahontas not getting to participate in certain activities or getting to go to Disney world, we still have many opportunities that other kids at Tazewell or Graham do not.
In 1999 the cheerleaders from PHS went to Disney World and participated in the Citrus Bowl, I was among them. In order to be able to do this we had to work very had for several months prior to raise the money to do so.
We at Pocahontas are average working people and our parents just can’t up and provide us the money for such trips.
We save our money to go on family trips for summer vacation.
Going back to the things students at PHS get to experience that students in bigger schools do not is being able to know each and every student in your class and for that matter almost every student in your school.
It is great to be able to walk down the halls of your school and be acknowledged by the faculty and staff by name. That is not possible at Graham, Tazewell, or Richlands.
If your not a super athlete, straight “A” student, or from a well-to-do family, where does that leave you in a big school? You are just a number for enrollment.
At PHS you feel comfortable in talking to the faculty if you have a problem, they are just like family. Also, in bigger schools to my understanding you can’t participate but in a limited number of extracurricular activities. At PHS you can participate in any sport, club, or extracurricular activity that interests you.
The kids here start to school together in kindergarten and are together through graduation. I bet that are many that would have wanted it any other way. If students from larger schools would come to PHS and be able to participate in all we do they too, would understand how great PHS really is.
In closing, sometimes bigger isn’t always better and in this case it is not.
PHS may be small but together we let our voices be heard.
Samantha Creasy
Proud 2002 graduate of PHS
Bluefield, Va.