Opinion: Come Write Postcards With Me!

April 18, 2023 By Kimya Howell

As you probably know, Town Meeting is coming up. There are signs all over town reminding you to vote YES on the override. I am a seventh grader at HMS. I know that if the school budget is cut, one of the things that would be cut is after school activities at the middle school and high school and that is depressing to the students. I take part in JCS (a choral group) and the spring musical every year and they are often the highlights of my week. I can’t imagine middle school without the after school activities. It would also be detrimental to the freshman at the highschool who want to play sports, because freshman sports would also be cut. I have been playing softball for as long as I can remember and I am definitely looking forward to having the chance to play for a school team. This would be robbing us of these classic school experiences.

We often talk about the override in school. We have discussed what the budget cuts would do to the town. Even after cutting after school activities and freshman sports, we’ll have to layoff about 60 people. It is sad that people would vote no on this bill considering what it would do to so many teachers and students. If we keep the activities and charge fees, it will be unfair to kids who can’t afford those fees. If we don’t charge fees and keep the activities, then even more people would have to be laid off.

It is hard to know that a big decision is going to be made that will impact you and you don’t get a say in it. That is why my friends and I decided to write postcards to voters to try to get people to vote Yes on the override. I designed the postcards and had 500 printed at Staples and asked Mr. Smith (HMS’s principal) if we could use a room after school to write the postcards so we could take the late bus home. My friends and I wrote about 70 that day and since then have written 150 total.

I would love more students to join us. We have a goal of writing 500 postcards before Town Meeting. You can join us at the Hingham Public Library today, Tuesday, April 18. We will be writing postcards in the Whitton room from 3:30 to 5 pm.