Dear Editor,
I moved to New England 12 years ago and have been happy to call Newport my home since 2014. In a few short years here, I have made an incredible network of friends, advanced my graphic design career, and enjoyed the countless opportunities to volunteer and serve my community.
Lately, I have been working with FabNewport’s Entrepreneurship program. The program seeks to empower and provide a space where Newport students can gain and improve confidence through making, critical thinking, and doing. It is a unique opportunity for the students from Thompson Middle School and Rogers Highschool to grow community connections and develop their individual skills through experiential learning. The students are talented and inspiring.
I grew up in Dallas, where my private high school had roughly 1,200 students. Despite the large city, my highschool did not offer the same access to extracurricular activities as special as FabNewport or, sail lessons with SailNewport, educational screenings by newportFILM, tennis programs through The International Tennis Hall of Fame, swimming lessons, garden lessons, or any of the other opportunities the city provides its students. It’s not the size of a school that makes a difference. It’s the willingness of the community to support the education of the students in its care that matters most.
I will be voting to Approve Question 2 to give Newport students a modern and safe Rogers High School and expand the overcrowded Pell Elementary School. We owe it to the families here today and in our future.
– Erin Briskie