By Emily Wicks / For The Herald
When I think of all the reasons to vote yes for the Marysville schools levy, there is one that feels like the most significant reason.
Vote yes for parents.
For the parents who helped raise us; those working as teachers, para-professionals, bus drivers, maintenance and food service workers and nurses. For the parents who help in classrooms, as chaperones and drivers, and those working to make ends meet and help their children thrive. The ones who work full-time every day and come home to serve on PTSAs, booster clubs, and Scouts; those who make it to educational nights and award ceremonies.
Vote yes for the parents who welcome us into their homes and lives, just as they did for every one of their children’s friends and classmates.
For the ones who cheer us on in our adult years; those who continue to celebrate our achievements and life events. The ones who stop us in the store or in the park to ask us how things are going, who update us and share their pride in the amazing things their children are doing.
They ask us about our day and talk about our thoughts, just as they did when we were young. And they clip and save photos or quotes from newspaper articles when we do something good.
As a 30-something, these parents are also now my peers. They work all over Marysville and beyond. Some work for a $1,000-a-month paycheck because they love the kids and know it takes a village. They love and give of themselves as much as the parents that came before them. Every parent in this community helped raise us, and we should be honored to stand by their side as we do the same for today’s children.
To the parents and those who know and love them: This is our community. This is the place we love. The place we call home. The place where our children are nurtured, supported and — hopefully — given all the opportunities to reach their unique success.
Athletics, school clubs, books and curriculum, computers, supplies and transportation, and the resources to honor the efforts of those working and supporting our schools; these support parents, too. The small yet critically important parts of education that ensure their child and their friend’s children are educated, protected and cared for while they work to support their family and community.
Vote yes for the basic needs that support our schools and students and recognize our local parents’ service to them and our community. Vote yes for our future. Yes, for our legacy.
Emily Wicks was raised in Marysville and attended Marysville schools. She now lives in Everett.
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