After reading the Feb. 26 letter written by Mr. Starks I was compelled to share my view. It seems to me that next week’s hotly contested school board vote should be an easy decision. Oak Harbor High school is not only one of the most technologically lacking schools in the district, but it also has the privilege of being home to what many consider the most appalling 4A sports complex in the state, as well as the horrible venues for the arts.

Mr. Starks’ argument that Oak Harbor’s “A” students are little more than drooling Neanderthals is absurd. He should first understand that a letter grade is by no means a measure of one’s intelligence. Most 4.0 students will not admit this, but we all know it. There are many C students who are extremely capable and intelligent, and just as many A students who are deserving of the grade they have. A letter grade is just that, a letter, a feeble attempt at ranking how well students play the game. No more, no less. This is not Oak Harbor’s problem but society’s, and we are not voting on a societal change.

Given my background, however, I may seem a little biased. I am a junior at Oak Harbor High school and am the starting center for our state-competitive football team. I am also a straight A student. This combination might seem to break all the stereotypes, but I am not the only one. There are many other “A” students playing sports (from football to basketball to golf) and engaging in performing arts (from band to choir to drama). What is so ironic, however, is that I could not be one without the other. I am not just a 4.0 student, but I am also a varsity football player.

What football provides me is an education just as rich and fulfilling as anything I learn in the classroom. It teaches leadership, teamwork, character, and self-confidence –– lessons that cannot be obtained from any book. The same thing is true for all sports, as well as performing arts. Without these lessons a person’s life is only partially complete. The entire point of high school is to prepare students for life, educating them not only in books but also through experience.

I, too, seem to remember a president who was educated in a cold, one-room school house that lacked running water. The funny thing is, I am remembering almost every president before 1850. That small decrepit shack was the best facility available at the time. Unfortunately if Oak Harbor High School was built at that time, it would have lacked not only heat and water, but probably a wall and roof as well. What needs to be realized is that Oak Harbor High School is far below what is average. We pack 1,800 students into a school built for far below that number. We lack technology and safety and are instead blessed with the joys of overcrowding, constant repairs, an abysmal heating system, and a pathetic sports field. We do not even have facilities adequate enough to foster well-prepared and competitive young adults, it is essential to provide them with the necessary facilities.

Andrew Horning

Oak Harbor