Former graduate, current coach, urges voters to OK levy

Dear editor:

My name is Scott Mederios. I moved to Mountain Home in 1975 and graduated from Mountain Home High in 1986. With the exception of a short stint through my college years, I have been a proud resident of this city that I have come to love.

In all of my years here this is the first time that I have written a letter to the editor. It is not that I thought that previous issues were not important enough for me to get involved with, I have just always had faith in our system to do the right things.

But after reading some of the blogs that people have written on the school district emergency levy, I realized that there are some people in this city that don't completely understand all of the circumstances and decisions that our school district faces.

This problem is not our own, but shared with the rest of the state and most of the country. To make a long story short, our legislature has voted to cut our funding and each school district is left with how to make it work. From what I understand most of the 4A schools in our state have had to apply for emergency levies in order to stay afloat. They all need their community's support to make it work and they have received exactly that.

One of the most devastating tragedies with the failure of the emergency levy will be the loss of all athletic and activity programs. I have been a teacher and coach in Mountain Home for 14 years, and in this time I have coached junior high and high school wrestling, football, baseball and golf, as well as Optimist football, Little League baseball, and softball.

I recently had a first in coaching that I hope to never have to repeat... I had to tell our golf team that there would not be a next season for golf. It was decided that even before the levy ran that golf was one of the sports that the school district had to make the difficult decision to cut. The look of shock and disappointment on the faces of my young athletes is something that I will never forget.

I believe that it is human nature to take for granted the things in our lives that we believe to be our rights, when in all reality they are a privilege. I believe that we would be doing the youth of our community a great injustice if we took away the privilege of athletics and activities!

Through academics I have acquired the knowledge that I will need to get through life. But through athletics I believe that I have acquired the skills that I need to succeed in life. As a young athlete my coaches instilled in me life skills that I use on a daily basis. They are what I call "The Four C's:" Commitment -- To our families, friends, and responsibilities; Confidence -- To achieve all in which we may endeavor; Courage -- To handle everything that life throws our way, and last but not least, Character -- To not only know what is right, but to do what is right.

Passing the levy is the right thing to do, regardless of if you completely agree with it or not. As a father of three young kids and the teacher and coach of hundreds, I know how important academics, athletics and activities are in the lives of the students in our community.

On May 27 I have complete confidence in the people of Mountain Home to do the right thing! Vote to pass the Mountain Home School District Emergency Levy.

Our future generations deserve the privileges that we all so fortunately grew up with!

Scott Mederios