This week was a memorable one around these parts and I can’t help but chime in with some additional thoughts on the spectacle that was candidate Donald Trump’s visit to Stephen Decatur High School.
•I had two favorite parts of the night.
One was seeing two local students featured on stage. Worcester Preparatory School student Molly Pugh skillfully led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance, while Stephen Decatur High School student Alexis McDonough did a wonderful job with the national anthem, featuring Maryland’s trademark holler of “O” that’s always sure to bring a smile.
If these young ladies were nervous before the ruckus crowd, they didn’t show it. They both did a wonderful job.
My other lasting memory was when Senior Advance staff Kevin Chmielewski was brought out on stage by his boss. While obviously reluctant to be in the spotlight and not accustomed to public speaking, it was a great moment to see the Stephen Decatur High School graduated feted before his home crowd in his old high school. It touched him as well, as he told News Editor Bryan Russo this week in his lone interview.
“Mr. Trump calling me out on stage has never happened before and is kind of unprecedented for someone in my line of work, so yeah, it was an amazing moment, but I’ll be getting made fun of by my colleagues for quite awhile,” he said. “I was one of those knucklehead kids growing up who got straight C’s and D’s [in high school]. I was on welfare, I never went to college and I should have been one of those kids that ends up in jail or doing dishes somewhere. I attribute my success to the people in our school system and our community who raised me. They say it takes a neighborhood or a community to raise a child, well this community raised me.”
•Unlike what many felt this week, I actually think the student body of Stephen Decatur High School likely learned a lot this week by the school hosting the event.
Sure there were likely distractions to their typical days and maybe even some activities that were cancelled, but for these students see first-hand what took place in the days before and the day of the campaign rally is a valuable stuff. By the looks of their eagerness and excitement, most of them relished the opportunity and that was nice to see.
•The Trump campaign paid Worcester County Public Schools almost $5,000 to rent the school for the rally. The fact the school system permitted this type of political event, specifically one for Trump, outraged some, including the largest union in the state.
Maryland State Teachers Association, MSEA President Betty Weller’s statement read, “Donald Trump and his divisive, fear-mongering rhetoric have no place in the halls of Maryland’s public schools. Trump’s eagerness to bully minorities would be unacceptable if it came from any of our students. … On behalf of more than 71,000 teachers and education support professionals in Maryland — and the students we teach — MSEA calls on the Worcester County Board of Education to reverse the decision to allow Trump to campaign on school property.”
Worcester County Public Schools Coordinator of Public Relations and Special Programs Carrie N. Sterrs responded, “Worcester County Public Schools acknowledges the concerns expressed by different advocacy groups about permitting a presidential candidate the use of a school facility. The rental of our facilities to any group or organization does not imply an endorsement of the event or candidate. Worcester County Public Schools’ policy does not discriminate on the basis of political or religious affiliation. The facility policy does not exclude a political candidate from renting facilities because of the views he or she conveys.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Congressman Andy Harris threw in his two cents, saying, The Maryland teachers’ union should be ashamed of their undemocratic and hypocritical protesting of Donald Trump’s event in Worcester County. Their protest is a national embarrassment to Marylanders. Stephen Decatur High School is a publicly owned forum and the hardworking taxpayers on the Eastern Shore deserve to hear from the leading Republican candidate for president, as well as any other candidate running for president. The very people who are supposed to be teaching our youth about our constitutionally protected First Amendment right to free speech are obstructing it. The Maryland teachers’ union is the real bully here, and I believe they should apologize to Mr. Trump, as well as the hardworking people of the Eastern Shore, who deserve to participate fully in the election process. I applaud the Worcester County school system for agreeing to host this historic event.”
•As far as the actual speech and its content, let’s just say if I were home and watching it on television I would flipped the channel about 10 minutes in. I was bored by the rhetoric.
The lack of detail on how he will carry out his key initiatives and Trump’s expounding delivery style — full of too many “hell” references and descriptive “great” adjectives — was nauseating at times.
I’m glad I went, however, because it was a historic moment in time for our area that none of us will ever forget.
