RISE Students Complete Summer School with Waynesboro Council and School Board Forum

WAYNESBORO — Students in the RISE summer program spent this June studying issues they believed were important to Waynesboro-area youth. They narrowed the topics down to one issue, and on Friday, about 20 students presented the topic during a forum with candidates for Waynesboro City Council and School Board.

“The common denominator was expanding the community center,” said Chanda McGuffin, co-founder of RISE, an advocacy group whose mission is to give voice and hope to the black community. The organization’s education arm provides after-school and summer tutoring programs for area youth to build self-confidence and teach critical thinking.

Students presented their ideas to candidates Friday. Among them was expanding the Rosenwald Community Center on Port Republic Road with a bowling alley, swimming pool and a diving park.

“We would like to expand the community center with a jumping park,” explained one student. “Because a jumping park is a fun place for kids.”

The students explained that physical activity is good for kids and a great way to bond with other kids. They even came armed with statistics, including information from the Virginia Department of Health that says 13 percent of youth ages 10 to 17 in the state are overweight. RISE students told the candidates that it’s important to find ways to keep youth active.

The candidates responded cautiously to the ideas, explaining that while they were good ideas and that young people indeed needed more activities in this area, a lot of research would need to be done to be sure the ideas were feasible.

“I want to commend all of you for being able to remember these statistics and the information that you’re sharing and for your courage in asking these questions,” said Nigel Stewart, a candidate for the school board position.

Stewart is a graduate of Waynesboro High School and Virginia State University. He currently serves as vice chairman of the Waynesboro Planning Commission.

“It’s important for (kids) to see someone who looks like me and is somewhat close to their age,” said Stewart, who is African-American and graduated from high school in 2019. “Representation is a real thing. I remember going to middle school and high school and not seeing many teachers who looked like me.”

When he finally came into contact with these teachers, especially during his college years, it had an impact on his development.

“It gave me a lot of hope and the possibility that I could actually achieve these things,” Stewart said. “My mindset has always been not only for my family, my community, but also for those who come after me. That’s who we’re really setting the stage for. Programs and activities like this help foster future growth.”

Stewart was one of two school board candidates who attended the event Friday, joining Erika Smith, the current District B representative who is running for re-election. On the city council side, District A candidates David Goetze and Lorie Strother, District B candidate Will Flory and District candidate Jeremy Sloat attended the forum.

Like Stewart, Smith was also impressed with the students’ presentation on Friday.

“That says a lot about our students, teachers and schools,” Smith said. “And our community partnerships like RISE and other community organizations are doing good things. They asked really tough questions, and I’m not sure my answers were as good as their questions.”

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— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips are always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/his/his) at [email protected] and follow him on Instagram @hitepatrick. Subscribe to our newsletter at newsleader.com

This article originally appeared in the Staunton News Leader: RISE students host forum for Waynesboro council and school board candidates