Jefferson County kids lead skateboard project

Bobby Propes

Northwest Valley Middle School kids are getting an insider’s look at how county government works. They also are helping finance a new county skateboard park.

A total of 180 Northwest Valley eighth graders participated in a University of Missouri-St. Louis program that shows how local governments work. It’s more than textbook learning.

The semester-curriculum in the Citizenship Education Clearing House (CECH) program includes getting involved in local government.

Northwest Valley’s project included getting involved in developing a Jefferson County sports complex. The kids are focused on helping finance a county skateboard park.

Ashley Bruce

Fourteen-year-old Bobby Propes said the project taught him that “it takes a lot to get simple things done in the community. You have to talk to lots of people to get approval.”

But the High Ridge kid added, “We’re just a bunch of kids and we’re getting a lot done.” Bobby gave most of the messages over the school intercom about the skateboard project.

A delegation of kids was at the groundbreaking for the park, held earlier in May.

In late May, a student delegation presented the Jefferson County Commissioners with a petition requesting more financial support for the park.

Fourteen-year-old Ashley Bruce drew up the petition asking for a grant from the commissioners. She also made a petition asking for a grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation. Hawk is a professional skateboarder who supports skateboard park development across the country.

Brandon Null

Ashley said she composed both petitions at home and got them approved at school.

The House Springs kid said the petitions were circulated throughout the school to get signatures. Kids were asked to sign while buying raffle tickets and at a professional skateboard demonstration.

The skateboard raffle and demonstration were a part of the kids’ fund-raising efforts.

Another student fund-raiser was a Walk-A-Thon early in May. For a donation of at least $3, kids were excused from history class to walk or run on the school track. That school fund-raiser brought in over $1,000.

Mitchell Gossage

Fourteen-year-old Brandon Null turned the Walk-A-Thon into a run. He ran most of his 16 laps (or four miles). He said he’s planning to go out for track next year in high school.

Null said he felt the new county skateboard park will be more valuable to him because he had a personal hand in financing it.

Fourteen-year-old Mitchell Gossage said his personal involvement in the government project has made him “a whole bunch more interested” in the way his county works.

The Fenton student said he takes part in skateboard competition. He traveled to the skateboard park in the St. Louis Mills shopping center in northwest St. Louis County. “I really liked it,” he said.

Jackie Glick

Fourteen-year-old Jackie Glick was one of the students who got to visit the county courthouse in Hillsboro. The sat in on a commissioners’ meeting and visited the jail and county offices.

Fifty kids were winners of an essay contest to determine which kids got to go to Hillsboro.

The High Ridge student said she was impressed with the amount of work that goes into every government project. However, she said she doesn’t want a career in government.

She said she’d like to be a writer or a professional musician. She’s been practicing with the guitar for a year and is “looking to get into a band.” Jackie said her interest in music “grew out of listening to music since I was a little kid.”

Christopher Rowley

Fourteen-year-old Christopher Rowley was glad to be a winner in backing the skateboard project. His earlier one-man effort to change a school rule didn’t turn out so well.

The Fenton student said he circulated a petition to try to get a later start to the school day. He was asking to change the school’s “early out” day to a “late start” day. On the monthly “early out” day, kids come to school at the regular time but get out shortly after noon.

He proposed starting later, maybe 11 a.m., and get out at the regular afternoon time.

“I got over a 100 eighth-graders to sign but I didn’t get enough seventh-graders,” he said. The school administration didn’t approve the “late start” day.

But, Christopher said his skateboard experience made him “much more” interested in government.