THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 3, 1995 TAG: 9512020154
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 15 EDITION: FINAL
SERIES: WHO WILL LEAD OUR SCHOOLS?
SOURCE: PROFILES BY ELIZABETH THIEL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
It was about this time last year when something happened to turn Renee Hannas' egg nog sour.
A poem her son planned to read in the school's holiday pageant was rejected. School officials said it was because the piece was submitted too late to get proper approval. Hannas believes it was because the poem contained references to God.
``I didn't realize it had gone that far,'' she said, referring to schools' efforts not to violate Constitutional church-state separations.
The incident, which made national news, spurred Hannas to think about running for the School Board, even though she has an aversion to politics. A normally shy person, Hannas is reluctant to engage in the details of running a campaign, such as talking to the media and raising money.
She refused advice from the Chesapeake Young Republicans, a group that has offered help to some candidates, that she needed to raise about $3,000 to have an effective race.
``There's so many other people out there that need so much,'' she said. ``I just can't see spending thousands of dollars on a campaign.''
Still, she's running, mostly because she believes that city schools must start honoring students' First Amendment rights and teaching kids morals and values.
``With peer pressure, kids need guidance, standards, for how they should live life,'' she said. ``I think in our society now, we're too slack on kids.''
Community groups, representing all factions, could come together and decide which morals and values would be taught. Students would use the time they normally meet with their guidance counselors to get such values lessons.
``The schools are totally turning off - I don't want to say religion. . . because I don't want people to think I'm trying to push one religion - I just think that children need to believe in and be taught moral values,'' she said.
Hannas also believes schools should raise their academic standards. For example, she said, her son came home recently with a `C' on his report card, but was still considered to be on the honor roll. Hannas thinks children should not be taught that an average grade is acceptable.
``We need to get our kids to strive higher,'' she said.
Renee Hannas
Age: 36
Occupation: Office manager, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 980
Born: Binghamton, N.Y.
Years in Chesapeake: 10
Residence: Deep Creek
Family: Husband, Ken; children, Andrew, 12, Richie, 9, Jacklyn, 7
Education: Binghamton High School graduate, 1977; courses toward a degree at Tidewater Community College
Community Service: Awana youth leader, Sunshine Club volunteer, missionary program volunteer, Temple Baptist Church; member, G.A. Treakle PTA
Official endorsements: None
How to reach: 487-6624
Major campaign issues: Schools should teach traditional, moral values; local parents should have more control over the state and federal money for education; schools should concentrate on basic skills, while increasing the use of technology to help teach the skills; schools should be safer ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MORT FRYMAN
Renee Hannas attracted media attention when she came to the defense
of her son's rejected poem.
KEYWORDS: CHESAPEAKE SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION CANDIDATES CHESAPEAKE SCHOOLS
PROFILE by CNB