I am writing to gain community support to implore the Marysville School Board not to close the aquatic center at Marysville-Pilchuck High School. The proposal to take the short-term budget fix will distance the program users from an affordable and accessible facility that supports healthy lifestyle choices. Public education is about ensuring a balance of academic and life skills for our students. Physical education, including sports teams, is a crucial component of building personal self-esteem and well-being as well as sportsmanship and camaraderie. (Community involvement is a wider positive impact of the aquatic programs and many from our community benefit from the minimal costs to participate.)
Varied choices of activities are necessary to entice our students away from the computer screens and other sedentary and solitary activities, which include drugs and alcohol. Water sports and exercise offer a way for the highly trained and those who have physical limitations to participate. It is my belief that a physically “active” student is less likely to become disillusioned with life. I remember when President John Kennedy supported elevating the importance of physical education back into the public school systems. Is closing the aquatic center our first step backward?
I question why we aren’t infusing levy dollars to maintain and upgrade existing MPHS facilities as well as build the new high school. Everett has done so with Everett and Cascade high schools, along with building Jackson High. Parents in the Marysville School District deserve to be excited and proud of their child’s assignment to either high school campus. We have the opportunity to not create artificial disparity between the two schools. Please reconsider and keep the pool open.
Marsha Allgire
Marysville
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