Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, December 18, 1994                   TAG: 9412190028
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-3   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: AMANDA ROOP CHRISTIANSBURG HIGH SCHOOL
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SOME WOULD BE STIGMATIZED

Students who pray together would form a bond to create a more peaceful climate. This sense of community would give students a center for their day and possibly would alleviate some of the violence that seems to be so predominant in many school environments today. Prayer might also make students more aware of other cultures, showing that there is a common thread that runs among ethnic groups.

Unfortunately, this ideal situation cannot exist. Many students are prone to tease those who are different or have different beliefs. Allowing prayer in public schools might alienate students from one another and cause a type of religious segregation, or it might show favoritism toward those who want to pray and ignore those without a chosen religion. Also, students who chose not to practice a particular religion might feel forced into beliefs with which they do not agree.

At Christiansburg High School, we have somewhat of a compromise. Thursday mornings, a student-led prayer takes place, either in the lower commons area or in front of the school before the school day begins. Students who wish to take part do so without feeling outside pressures. We also have a Youth America Campus Club that is supervised by the administration, even though it has no assigned school sponsor or adviser. This club, which meets according to the regular school club day schedule, is neither encouraged nor hindered by school staff members.

Another possible compromise would be to have a mandatory brief period (possibly five minutes) devoted to total silence at the beginning of each school day. If students chose to use the time to pray or meditate, they might do so. Others might collect their thoughts for the day or work on homework. This compromise would satisfy individuals on both sides of the issue so that no one would feel pressured into praying, and another person would not feel that the educational system had banished prayer.

Although this is an important issue, there are many other issues more significant and worthy of public concern. Time could be better spent developing new strategies for education and finding ways to curtail violence and put an end to drug and alcohol abuse. If we put our energies to work in these areas instead, we would be able to greatly improve and influence our public schools as a whole.

Amanda Roop is a junior at Christiansburg High School. She wrote this editorial as a team with four other classmates, each possessing different beliefs and one coming from a different culture. The other students are: Zaid Ahmed, senior; Jess Baker, sophomore; Andrew Dickenson, junior; and Jennifer Easter, freshman.