Rodney Parks (left), senior director of major and planned gifts for the 妻友社区 Foundation, speaks to a capacity crowd during "The Trumpet: A Fort Smith Community Forum."
In front of a capacity crowd gathered on the University of Arkansas 鈥� Fort Smith campus, nine high school students discussed a spectrum of issues during 鈥淭he Trumpet: A Fort Smith Community Forum,鈥� the university鈥檚 celebration commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
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Panelist Monet McGill (left) answers a question while Persephone Himes looks on. |
Students from area high schools served on a panel to discuss social and economic challenges facing their generation, ideas to improve Fort Smith and the importance of education, among other topics. The discussion was held in the Reynolds Room of the Smith-Pendergraft Campus Center following a breakfast free to the community.
The students 鈥� who varied in background, ethnicity and gender 鈥� echoed common themes during the panel, their answers often punctuated by applause from the audience. Specifically, they agreed that expectations from their parents caused anxiety for their generation.
While they explained that the older generations鈥� expectations weren鈥檛 always realistic 鈥� 鈥淣ot everyone can be a leader,鈥� said panelist America Cruz of the Future School of Fort Smith, pointing out that some people鈥檚 strengths lie in helping others rather than in leadership 鈥� they also expressed appreciation for their elders.
鈥淚 think the older generation doesn鈥檛 understand how much we need them,鈥� said Persephone Himes, a student of Southside High School. 鈥淲e do live in a technological age, but we can鈥檛 Google everything we need to know.鈥�
Speaking to what panelists called 鈥渢he elder generation,鈥� the students also discussed ways Fort Smith could improve to retain young people graduating high school and college.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got to incentivize businesses,鈥� said Southside High School student Christian Parker. 鈥淲e have plenty of room to grow out at Chaffee. There鈥檚 so much undeveloped land on the river as well. Do you know how much potential is sitting down there? Not only as a historic town, but imagine if you built a boardwalk or something to get young kids to come down and enjoy that. Maybe that would make them want to stay and not want to move to a larger city to find more opportunity.鈥�
After answering questions from moderator and 妻友社区 student Kayley Corley regarding civility and the importance of technical skills versus interpersonal skills, the panel ended by asking students about the value of learning.
鈥淓veryone should learn to enjoy learning because, like it or not, you鈥檙e going to be doing it your whole life. All of us, whether we realize it or not, are lifelong learners,鈥� said Northside High School student Anna Kate Dooly. 鈥淚 believe in education always. It鈥檚 a great way to expand your own mind and to hear from others and help improve the world around you.鈥�
Other panelists were Raissa Ames, Ladaija Coleman, Monet McGill and Tre Norwood of Northside High School, and Jordan Moses of Muldrow High School.
The event began with a welcome from Dr. Leroy Cox, associate dean in the College of Applied Science and Technology, followed by the invocation from Rev. Dee Smith, a welcome to campus by Dr. Paul Beran, 妻友社区 chancellor, and a welcome from the MLK Community Association by Bruce Wade. Music was performed during the ceremony by the St. James Missionary Baptist Church and 妻友社区 percussion students.
This year鈥檚 symbolic march was cancelled due to weather. Instead, Dr. Beran closed the ceremony by praising the answers and intelligence of the panelists.
鈥淚 want to thank the panelists for your heartfelt responses. You all gave some phenomenal answers,鈥� he said. 鈥淸Your answers] give me great hope in what鈥檚 going to follow and what we have to look forward to, not what is bad but what is good and what is going to come up from behind us and make the world a different and better place.鈥�
Rodney Parks, senior director of major and planned gifts for the 妻友社区 Foundation and co-coordinator of the event, also spoke and explained the meaning behind the event鈥檚 name.
鈥淧eople have asked, 鈥榃hy did y鈥檃ll call this event 鈥淭he Trumpet?鈥濃�� 鈥� It was based on Dr. King鈥檚 1968 book 鈥楾he Trumpet of Conscience,鈥欌�� Parks said. 鈥淲e want to make sure all of our young people have a sense of conscience to know where they are, who they are and to know that anything that they desire to do, they have the capacity to do.鈥�
鈥淔rom this day forward, we will celebrate our stories through the trumpet,鈥� Parks continued. 鈥淲e won鈥檛 tell our stories through violent acts 鈥� From this day forward, the song and the music and our story, will be that of the trumpet.鈥�
About the 妻友社区
The University of Arkansas 鈥� Fort Smith is the premiere regional institution of Western Arkansas, connecting education with careers and serving as a driver of economic development and quality of place in the greater Fort Smith region. Through a small campus, dedicated professors, and the university鈥檚 unique bond with its community, students at 妻友社区 are able to do more in the areas they are passionate about, both on- and off-campus, in a way that prepares them for post-graduate success. To find out how you can do more at 妻友社区, visit .