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School Closure in Alabama  By Lisa Rowell Students have many worries during their high school years -- worries such as the graduation exam, the prom, ACT tests, and algebra. This year, students at Bibb Graves School in rural Millerville, Alabama, had another worry to add to their list: until last month, they did not know if they would have a school next year. For the past two years, a battle has been waged back and forth between Bibb Graves School and the Clay County School Board. The school board wanted to close Bibb Graves and Mellow Valley schools and send the students to schools on the other side of the county. Supporters of both the threatened schools have worked vigorously to keep their schools open. Many students became involved in the fight. Deidre Ware, a freshman at Bibb Graves, supported the school by going to the meetings that are held regularly by the Bibb Graves Parent-Student-Teacher Organization (P.T.S.O.). These meetings were sometimes held in a local church during the hot summer months. Ware also talked to her peers about avoiding violence and getting their grades and test scores up and keeping their school clean and safe. "I helped in the fundraisers that go to the B.G.H.S. legal fund and I support keeping the school open," said senior Cody Rowell. Mashema Brown, a junior, also supported keeping the school open. "I attend all the meetings about the school that I can. I also help with fundraisers for the legal fund," she said. These students and many more did a great deal to try to keep their school open. They went not only to P.T.S.O. meetings, but also to Clay County School Board meetings. They followed in the footsteps of their parents and teachers and spoke up to let people know what they think about the situation. In addition to participating in several fundraisers, students worked at school clean-up days. Some students also sent letters to the editor to local and regional newspapers. Finally, much of the community's information about the closing came from the school's own newspaper, The Community Connection. Student journalists covered the proposed closing, the board's decision to leave the school open until the end of this school year, and the continuing and drawn-out proceedings of the superintendent and the Board of Education. Students thought about what the following year would be like if Bibb Graves closed. "Next year will be especially hard for all the seniors (including myself) if we are forced to go to a new school. It will be a busy year anyway with everyone making plans for college. It would be an extra strain to have to adjust to a new school," said junior Kristi Stewart, who was involved with the effort to keep Bibb Graves open. In January 2003, the Clay County School Board decided to close Bibb Graves permanently after the end of the school year. But these students (along with their parents, teachers, and other concerned citizens of the Millerville community) would not give up the fight for Bibb Graves. Finally, the Bibb Graves community won the fight. Just two months later, in March 2003, the school board reversed its decision. The school is no longer in jeopardy of closure and will remain open. Students from Bibb Graves will always remember the struggle that led to their victory in keeping their school open. Perhaps it has opened their eyes to how their vote can affect what happens in their life and how they can change policies by standing for what they believe in and not giving up. It could be that the uncertainty and fear in the long fight to prevent Bibb Graves' closure will turn these students into better citizens in the future.
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