Declaration Project

I am upset that the Philadelphia School District gave we the students the day off when the Pope visited our fair city. I believe that the reasons the superintendent and fellow officials gave for calling off school were invalid, and as such, robbed us of a full day of important learning. The Pope of all people would have wanted for inner city school students to continue with their education, and he would not have wanted in any way for his visit to deny us a day of learning. I don’t want an unscheduled day off from school. I want to learn every chance I can get from my teachers, so I can be the best democratic citizen possible.

— La’Tasha Oates, Constitution High School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania