In today’s issue:
a loving name from the past
a lot of educational questions in the present
and a couple cultural advancements
☀️Hanging out a Shingle
Names mean something. A name carries history, or connects with it. A name can be like a seed, and it can grow like a tree.
The name “Marysville” is a name of love. Perhaps it was given under duress, but that’s harder to believe.
James P. Comeford founded our city in 1878. He’d come from Ireland (when he was four), and lived in different states and territories in the Midwest, until making it all the way West with his wife in 1871. The government appointed him to be an Indian agent, and a Catholic missionary selected him to work on the Tulalip Reservation.
After six years working with the Indians and trading with the logging camps along the Snohomish River, Comeford hung out his own shingle. He established a new trading shop, a new hotel, a new post office, and even a new school. It seems the only thing he didn't build was a water tower. When it came time to name the place, he named it after his wife, Maria. This was either because she was real pain in his business, or because he wanted the community founded out of love.
Remembering every previous page in one’s story isn’t necessary each time a given name is used. But it’s right for a man to honor his parents and to give thanks for all he’s been given. Our city is 144 years old thanks to the “father of Marysville.”
Read here for even more of Comeford’s history.
☀️Educational Questions
Marysville voters rejected levy extensions for the Marysville School District again. It is a repeated rejection, and it is both reasonable and right.
The administration continues to hold “listening” meetings for sake of gathering feedback while threatening that more teachers (35 already) and activities will be cut. The problem, however, is not a lack of money, it’s a lack of education.
Marysville is last in academic scores among the nine largest districts in the county as reported by the Lynnwood Times last October.
Yet the same article reports that the Marysville district is highest in per-pupil expenditures at $15,268/student. How could it be a money problem? It’s not.
Here is the most recent example. KOMO News reported that parents, board members, and teachers could not come to an agreement at a meeting last Monday. That is not surprising. The particular disagreement was whether or not parental consent would be required for student participation in after school clubs. And the particular clubs in question are so-called “safe space” meetings for LGBTQ+ students at elementary schools.
A few teachers launched these secret meetings on their own, but (thankfully) questions came up. At Monday’s meeting “school board members proposed making parental consent part of the process for students to join.” That’s good, right?
Before answering that, consider how KOMO’s story leans against parental consent. “200 people joined the demonstration” against parents compared to just “many moms and dads” who showed up. The district leaders “moved to limit access” by pushing for informing parents. “Others are concerned,” (the dreaded unnamed “others”), that such a policy would “force kids to out themselves” to unsupportive parents. Some kids can’t “be themselves” at home. A teacher “recalled” a transgender student who committed suicide in middle school because he “only found limited support.”
It almost makes one appreciate that the board held any ground on behalf of parents. The presenting controversy is over whether parents should know what groups their kids are in, and the board is at least requiring this for “students from kindergarten up through eight grade.” But isn’t there a more fundamental question? How can a school board that refuses to publicly identify the difference between boys and girls be expected to educate anyone on any subject that requires using more than one’s eyes? This doesn’t deny that some young people have struggles, but school teachers and school officials exacerbate these struggles when they deny the obvious.
The reason voters continue to reject the levy is just as obvious. There will be no blessings or future generations in Marysville if we are unwilling to help boys grow into fruitful men and girls grow into fruitful women.
Consider joining this new Facebook group: Education Options Marysville
☀️Coming Up
We hope to grow this section as word spreads about the Sun. And in light of the above discussion about schooling, the first two performances below come from two non-government-run educational institutions trying to offer something better.
Comeford College Community Choir Spring Concert, Tuesday, May 24, 7:00pm at Reclamation Church (Yes, this college is named after James Comeford.)
Evangel Classical School Spring Concert, Tuesday, May 31, 6:30pm at Word of Life Lutheran Church
The Marysville Parks, Culture and Recreation Department has its own calendar and list of classes.
☀️Make Contact
Want to share an announcement about an upcoming event? Interested in having your business highlighted? Want to complain with a letter to the editor? Reply on the socials (Twitter or Facebook) or send an email to: office@marysvillesun.com
Good to see an upstanding publication in Marysville.