League of Women Voters and more at Asbury Park High School!

This was an eventful week at Asbury Park High School. The week began with the League Women Voters conducting a lesson on Women’s Suffrage to Mr. Wronko’s World History Class.

Presenters, Patricia L. Supplee and her assistant, Pat Schmiedel, gave the students a timeline presentation in history from the Colonial and Revolutionary war period to the present.

League of Women Voters presentation

Throughout this presentation, the presenters wanted to show the students how because of who you were, could determine if you had rights that protected you and if you were able to vote.

All students were given an avatar. Each avatar was different according to race and gender. Based on the time frame Mrs. Supplee and Mrs. Schmiedel were presenting, determined if a student could stand up to show what kind of person you had to be in order to have rights and the right to vote. Those who had avatar’s of women could not stand up until the timeline reached August 18, 1920, when the 19th Amendment was ratified. This lesson showed that not all women were able to vote at this time.

Voting Rights

Then the lesson explained that Black women and men had to fight for suffrage for decades until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed.

All students from Mr. Wronko’s class felt that they had learned a lot especially on how Black Americans had to continue their fight for their rights and the right to vote.

Human Rights

After their lesson, Mr. Wronko’s student, Randy Vasquez, gave a presentation to Mrs. Supplee and Mrs. Schmiedel on how to encourage human rights in the world in which we live in today. Mrs. Supplee, also known as Dr. Pat, had taught college classes and this was a great opportunity for Randy, a senior, to gain experience conducting presentations on a college level. In addition to Randy Vasquez, Eduardo Pena-Pachuca, 9th grader, gained some college experience also by presenting his ideas on how to spread for everyone to have human rights in the world.

Prehistoric Times Magazine

In addition to the League of Women Voters, the week continued with Mr. Wronko’s and Mrs. Furlong’s students getting their issue of Prehistoric Times Magazine issue 148, which had the students names and their artwork published. Students published:

• Sirius Antiago, Nyshaun Peten, Matthew Ramirez – Flores, Laraah Owens
• William Cifuentes-Hernandez, John Kenley Milien
• Julio Alicea, Berenise Tepetitla, Danay Tacuba-Morales
• Katherine Avila-Roman
• Yermi Cifuentes-Perez
• Sahar Kamel and Aliyah Calloway
• Kamani Foster

Besides Prehistoric Times Magazine issue 148, this week ended with a super presentation from Tina Watson, the daughter of Tuskegee Airman George Watson. During her presentation she showed Mr. Wronko’s students through the use of many incredible visuals the history of her father’s involvement with the Tuskegee Airmen. She also showed a picture with her father meeting actor Denzel Washington. Check out more in the Tina Watson article.

Patriot’s Pen

In closing, I want to thank Ms. Watkins and Mrs. Clancy for their assistance in getting their students involved with the VFW Patriot’s Pen: How does America Inspire You? This was promoted from head commander, Wilbur V. Martin of the VFW post in Neptune. A sample essay of how America Inspires You:

American inspires me in many ways. America holds a special place to me because of all the opportunities given to us through education, being able to be ourselves, and make contributions to our country. This is a country where you can get a free education to lift yourself out of poverty and into a realm of happiness. That is why its so appealing to immigrants who cannot succeed in their former country. Here if you study hard, you not only get an education from k to 12th grade but you can get financial help to go to college. Besides college, you can also learn how to start your own business by being provided a vocational education. You can establish a business in being a carpenter, auto mechanic, plumber, and even technician.

America is one of the only countries where you are free to be yourself. You can have your own views and feelings without being afraid of being hurt for your point of view. To protect your point of view you have the Bill of Rights which ensures your right to free speech, religion, property, and the will to follow your dreams.

As a result of these freedoms, you are able to make contributions back to the country to help make it a better place to live. You can go on to start a business or become a professional like a lawyer or doctor. President Abraham Lincoln rose from poverty in Kentucky to become a lawyer and the President of the United States. He kept the country together and freed the enslaved people so that the country can get better. As the country got better, we saw Barack Obama become the first Black President. It is through examples like this that shows me how America inspires me. That is also why America is the greatest country in the world.