Andrew McCarthy, Marysville High School - Class of 2001

Marysville, for most of my life, has been a growing community. A lot of my time, growing up, was spent behind the counter in my family’s pharmacy, where folks could share their two cents of a conversation over a five-cent cup of coffee. But from behind that counter, you could still see the plain truth—our town was bursting at the seams, and to address this challenge, our town would need to adapt.

It’s been almost ten years since that family pharmacy hung up its closed sign, but Marysville rose to the challenge presented by its growth. Its schools, likewise, rose to the challenge as well, submitting and getting the votes necessary to pass the levies to keep the school system strong and competitive.

I stayed in the public school system throughout my time in Marysville, from my first day in kindergarten at East Elementary until graduating from MHS in 2001. The education I received instilled drive and determination to get to where I am by providing me the opportunity to develop and excel. During my 7th grade year at Marysville Middle School, I was introduced to speech and debate. At Marysville High School, I was also able to join what is one of the most competitive programs for high school mock trial, arguing on the floor of the Ohio Supreme Court my senior year. The skills I learned through these activities propelled my college mock trial teams to two national competitions. Where am I now? I’m a first year law student at The Ohio State University. I can assure you that this wasn’t just by chance.

Marysville schools also afforded me the chance to study the foreign language of my choice and, while at Marysville High School, I chose to study two—Latin and Spanish. The fundamentals of language learning my teachers passed on made studying Japanese in college a breeze, to the extent that the Japanese government hired me to teach in their schools for three years. Citizens of Marysville, investing in my education and the education of my classmates, enabled this kind of success.

The dedicated staff in my schools invested time after class to speak to my and my classmates concerns directly. Marysville Schools prepares students in a way that exceeds expectations—and the excellence the staff in their AP programs provide allow college bound students to pass English, Calculus, American History and more before they ever leave MHS.

Marysville is still growing, and the world is ever changing. Success today will not equate to success tomorrow. This November, Marysville will be asked to make that same investment again. I encourage you to vote YES on the upcoming levies, and invest in the excellence of our schools for a new generation.

Andrew R. McCarthy
Marysville High School - Class of 2001
Currently attending The Ohio State University School of Law

Zack Stillings, Marysville High School alumnus

My education at Marysville High School would not have been complete had it not been for the AP classes I took while enrolled there. I am happy to say that, following high school, I was given 25 hours of credit at the University of Alabama, where I now attend. Upon entrance there, I was five hours away from being a sophomore. In a national university system where more and more students are being forced to graduate in five years at an ever increasing cost, AP classes have been, and will continue to be, an invaluable tool for many of the nation's top students.

Not affording the best and brightest students in the city of Marysville the opportunity to get college credit during high school would be a shame. The students who work hardest during their time at the city's high school would, without AP credits, begin on the same footing as their classmates who put in half the effort. Furthermore, our students wishing to apply to the nation's top universities would be at a severe disadvantage, ultimately losing out to students from schools where AP classes were the norm.

I cannot describe how valuable my education at Marysville has proven in college, and I hope that it is allowed to continue as a top achieving school in the state.

Zack Stillings
Marysville High School alumnus
Currently attending The University of Alabama

Stephanie Devine, Marysville High School alumnus

During my time at MHS, I learned just as much from my extracurriculars and AP classes as I did in any general education classroom. In fact, I would wager to say that the personal interactions I had with my peers and faculty advisors shaped me more than anything else. My involvement in Mock Trial specifically has allowed me to be involved in extracurriculars that took me to California, Colorado and a higher percentage of tuition covered by scholarships.

Of course, when it comes down to it, we're at school for an education. In that respect, my AP classes have continued to demonstrate their value in my college career. Courses like AP English, History and Music Theory challenged me and kept me motivated through the dreaded 'Senioritis', and have allowed me the opportunity to graduate in four years, even though most students take five years to complete my major. This is saving me tens of thousands of dollars and allowing me to become more involved in activities. In courses I didn't test out of, the foundation laid by AP courses kept me from the freshman meltdowns that plagued my peers. Marysville's fantastic teaching staff set a standard that prepared me for an intensive liberal arts education and the expectations that come with it. I couldn't be more grateful for "Marysville, our dear High School." Go Monarchs!

Stephanie Devine
Marysville High School alumnus
Currently attending Cedarville University

Roger Pettit, Marysville High School - Class of 2007

My name is Roger Pettit and I am a 2007 Marysville graduate, and I am currently enrolled at Cedarville University double majoring in Chemistry and Biology with a focus towards Medical School. I took a total of seven (7) AP courses. From these classes I got a head start on my college career and also was introduced to many concepts and ideas that I would later utilize in my college career. I can honestly say that if I did not get this advantage in high school I would be sorely behind and unprepared for my classes. From these courses I also learned how to study at a college level and prepare for tests.

I am in no manner meaning to boast for myself, but if there were no AP courses I would not have been able to work on harder material and would have been bored with the regular classes. When I did take these classes I did not take them seriously, and as a result got bored and neglected my homework, thinking it was not worth my time. However once I enrolled in the harder courses I applied myself and welcomed the challenges. I believe that by getting AP classes it kept myself out of boredom, and also out of trouble that I might have caused had the boredom continued.

Roger Pettit
Marysville High School - Class of 2007
Currently attending Cedarville University

Lisa A Minken, Marysville High School - Class of 1999

Ten years ago, through a program with the Marysville High School Drama Club, I attended my first opera, Tosca. We were bussed to downtown Columbus, had dinner before the show while listening to a speaker explain the opera and, finally, got to enjoy our first Opera Columbus performance. Later in the year, Opera Columbus artists came to our school to work with the drama club to produce our own opera (on a much smaller scale). Before those experiences, I thought opera was a stuffy, elitist artform; however, after, my eyes were opened to a new, beautiful artform that was easy to enjoy and accessible to many. Little did I know at the time how those two experiences would change my life.

Currently, I serve as Director of Marketing and Public Relations for Opera Columbus. Having had an experience with Opera Columbus in high school, I knew I wanted to share the opera’s mission with others. If I hadn’t had that high school experience, I doubt that I would have ever even considered a position that I turned out to be my dream job.

Beyond this example, I feel that the foundation of who I am as a person today was formed during my years at Marysville High School. I was an active participant in Mock Trial, Drama Club, Symphonic Choir, Speech and Debate, Show Choir, Leo Club, National Honor Society and school musicals. In addition to extracurricular activities, I carried a college-prep course load and took advantage of many AP classes that were offered (I’d also like to add that Mrs. Biehl, one of the teachers of my senior year, was the best teacher I’ve ever had). Academics combined with extracurricular activities gave me the discipline to multi-task, and to develop self-confidence and networking, writing, critical thinking and public speaking skills – each of these skills I use in my job everyday. Additionally, these skills enabled me to obtain scholarships to pay for college, and to succeed academically during my four years at Otterbein College, from which I graduated with a 3.6 GPA.

It pains me to learn that current students may no long be able to have the same opportunities that led me to find my dream job at age 25. If both school levies do not pass, all middle school and freshman extracurricular activities will immediately be eliminated (sports, choir, clubs, etc.). In addition, all middle school and high school extracurriculars will be eliminated in the 2009-2010 school year. That means that this year would be the last year for Marysville Football, Marching Band, Mock Trial, Show Choir and all the other extracurricular activities that students love.

If both school levies pass, the average school tax cost will be around $4.00 per week for each family in Marysville. Think of it: $4.00 per week, per family. Less than one movie ticket, less than a 12-pack of pop, less than what most people spend at Starbucks in a week. Even in this time of economic uncertainty, that’s a great bargain.

I can’t urge you strongly enough to vote “YES” for the Marysville Schools Levy. Your vote will ensure that the young people in our community receive a quality education, and helping them to achieve their dream jobs one day. What student isn’t worth that?

Lisa A. Minken
Marysville High School - Class of 1999

Andrew McCarthy, Marysville High School - Class of 2001

Marysville, for most of my life, has been a growing community. A lot of my time, growing up, was spent behind the counter in my family’s pharmacy, where folks could share their two cents of a conversation over a five-cent cup of coffee. But from behind that counter, you could still see the plain truth—our town was bursting at the seams, and to address this challenge, our town would need to adapt.

It’s been almost ten years since that family pharmacy hung up its closed sign, but Marysville rose to the challenge presented by its growth. Its schools, likewise, rose to the challenge as well, submitting and getting the votes necessary to pass the levies to keep the school system strong and competitive.

I stayed in the public school system throughout my time in Marysville, from my first day in kindergarten at East Elementary until graduating from MHS in 2001. The education I received instilled drive and determination to get to where I am by providing me the opportunity to develop and excel. During my 7th grade year at Marysville Middle School, I was introduced to speech and debate. At Marysville High School, I was also able to join what is one of the most competitive programs for high school mock trial, arguing on the floor of the Ohio Supreme Court my senior year. The skills I learned through these activities propelled my college mock trial teams to two national competitions. Where am I now? I’m a first year law student at The Ohio State University. I can assure you that this wasn’t just by chance.

Marysville schools also afforded me the chance to study the foreign language of my choice and, while at Marysville High School, I chose to study two—Latin and Spanish. The fundamentals of language learning my teachers passed on made studying Japanese in college a breeze, to the extent that the Japanese government hired me to teach in their schools for three years. Citizens of Marysville, investing in my education and the education of my classmates, enabled this kind of success.

The dedicated staff in my schools invested time after class to speak to my and my classmates concerns directly. Marysville Schools prepares students in a way that exceeds expectations—and the excellence the staff in their AP programs provide allow college bound students to pass English, Calculus, American History and more before they ever leave MHS.

Marysville is still growing, and the world is ever changing. Success today will not equate to success tomorrow. This November, Marysville will be asked to make that same investment again. I encourage you to vote YES on the upcoming levies, and invest in the excellence of our schools for a new generation.

Andrew R. McCarthy
Marysville High School - Class of 2001
Currently attending The Ohio State University School of Law