Letter to the Editor: MHS Graduate Reflects on School Board Issues

Letter to the Editor – Submitted to OnFocus by Dillon Scheuer: 

I have spent most of my life as a part of the School District of Marshfield. 13 years of classes, countless extracurriculars, and sports. For most of this time, I didn’t give the school board much attention. I always assumed that they were leading in the best interest of the district and never really gave it a second thought. In my senior year, I realized that this approach was a mistake. After newly hired principal Jackson Hein tried to suspend me for having a seatbelt-cutting emergency tool in my vehicle and proceeded to tell me that I did not have the right to appeal beyond his authority, my disillusionment quickly faded. I had read the student handbook and I knew that I had the right to appeal any proposed punishment via a committee. I contacted the school board and the superintendent, Ryan Christianson, thinking they would set matters straight. I only ever heard from one member of the school board. It was neither Frances Bohon nor Sam Steiner, both of whom are running for reelection. It was Cathy Gorst, who consistently has shown that she is an advocate for what is right and who always puts students first. Long story short, after the district brought in their very expensive attorney and I worked with attorneys of my own, the threat of suspension was lifted. While the district never said the words “We were wrong” or “I’m sorry for all of the emotional distress,” it was clear to me that the district had messed up and they knew it. Throughout the ordeal, which lasted for almost two months, Ryan Christianson’s silence, and that of 6/7 of the board, spoke volumes. My faith in the district was shaken and any illusion that I had of the board being an ambivalent governing body, above scrutiny, was lifted. I started to go to board meetings, I became involved, and what I learned was shocking and disheartening.

The next time I spoke to the board was in the Spring of 2023. I was set to graduate ranked number one in the class of 2023, and I found out that the school no longer recognized the valedictorian or salutatorian at the graduation ceremony. In the past, I had always assumed it happened, because that is common practice with so many schools. I asked around and found out that it hadn’t happened in Marshfield in years. I went before the board to ask why and to petition to bring the recognition back. The response that I got was out of touch and condescending. School Board President Frances Bohon was so clouded by her “remembrances”1 from 13 years ago, when she first voted to remove the recognition, that she wasn’t even willing to vote on bringing it back. She claimed that recognizing valedictorian and salutatorian would create a nature of ugly competition and even claimed that it would inhibit students’ willingness to participate in extracurriculars. Dale Yakaites even went so far as to imply that I was selfish because I, as valedictorian, wanted recognition. He suggested the situation may have been different if “the president of the student council … had come forward as opposed to just one individual.”2 After the meeting, I reminded Dale that I was both the senior class president and the National Honor Society president. At the next board meeting, I shared that it was very possible to take dozens of extracurriculars, play an instrument and a sport, and still graduate as valedictorian. I even printed out a copy of my transcript as proof. Despite the board’s alleged commitment to evidence-based decision-making, the fact that I had been heavily involved in the school and still academically successful did not seem to make an impact. Going into the 2024 graduation, Marshfield will continue its tradition of ignoring the valedictorian and salutatorian.

I am now at college and have long since made peace with the fact that I never got recognition for my hard work and academic achievement. What I can’t accept is the fact that two of the four board members who voted against recognizing student achievements are running again. These members are Frances Bohon and Sam Steiner. These members have shown that they are out of touch with the district, that they do not listen to students, and that they are unwilling to adapt to the changing wishes of the constituency. I am writing this article for two reasons. The first is to share my story and my experience of getting snubbed by a district to which I dedicated my entire young life. The second is to urge you, the community, to replace Frances and Sam on the school board, and give this district a chance to prosper in the future.

1 Quote taken from the May 10th School Board Meeting, which can be found at https://archive.org/details/School_Board_510_23

2 Quote taken from the May 10th School Board Meeting, which can be found at https://archive.org/details/School_Board_510_23

Dillon Scheuer
MHS Class of 2023

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