Heart of a Champion...Katie Lemar
Every now and then, someone we don't even know touches our hearts in a special way. Courage under fire, selfless acts or kindness of a stranger inspires us in a way that we have to do something in their honor. So, I feel compelled to tell you about Katie Lemar.
Katie suffers from a rare disease that makes it difficult for her to do much of anything, let alone attend high school. But that is exactly what she did and she is nearly done. All she has left is a summer session and she is finished. So imagine her disappointment when the school district told her that she could not participate in the graduation ceremony. They said that she couldn't "Walk" because that is reserved for people that are graduating. They were arrogant about it as well. If you want to read about the story in its entirety, then go to http://www.koin.com/webnews/20032/20030522_graduation.shtml to see the original story that aired a couple of weeks ago.
So unlike my normal column, this column is an open letter to the leadership of Evergreen School District. If you become compelled to write them and give them your two cents worth, I'd appreciate it. Their email address is webmaster@egreen.wednet.edu.
To: Evergreen School District,
By now you must have an idea of how your stubbornness has offended the sensibilities of so many people in this nation. There are so many things that bind us as Americans. One of those virtues is the sense of fairness that we Americans hold dear. We are a demanding lot and we expect so much from ourselves, but one of the things we also believe in even more is our sense of compassion. At our worst, we favor those that are loyal to us regardless of how bad they may be. When America is at our best, we stand up for the underdogs. We make exceptions for those that defy the odds and put up the kind of fight that we appreciate because we know that if it were us, we may not do so well
When you need money from the voters, it is Katie that would be brought out to prove to the voters that you are worthy of passing bonds and levies. As it stands now, I doubt anyone would give you stolen money, let alone hard earned money to your district. You have an obligation and a sacred trust to teach our children the importance of learning and values that go beyond your textbooks. Katie did that in spite of such poor examples as you. I am just grateful that she learned what she did anyway, and that too shows the kind of character that she is built from.
Based on how your district handled this situation, I can see that if you had to endure what Katie did, you probably would not have the courage or strength to do what she did. In my estimation, you are acting like a collection of small-minded people. Your actions are mean spirited and at this point, all I can say is that the students of the Evergreen School District need to take notice and work very hard to not be like you. They need to follow Katie as an example. The parents of your district must work very hard to show their children that the district is acting in a manner which is not acceptable for them.
In the final analysis, life is unfair. If you won't let Katie walk then so be it. You hold all the cards and that is how life is sometimes. The lesson that everyone needs to learn here is that no matter what a group of small-minded pathetic sub-humans do, you cannot take away what Katie did. No one can do that. So go ahead and play your games. Go ahead and take away the day that should belong to Katie, because she will shine brighter in spite of this. And really Evergreen School District, she is strong enough to take it, because what she's done for the past four years far surpasses what you can do to her for the few short steps that you are denying from her. Our heart is with Katie, regardless of your lack of one.