Thank you Chair, and thank you to everyone who is here, participating or watching, on this intense and eventful day. For anyone who I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting yet, I am Anya Heiden, a senior at Deering High School and the Student Representative on the Portland School board. 

Before I begin speaking generally about the recent happenings at Deering, I wanted to address the weight that today carries for my classmates, teachers, and I. Today, Deering and other nearby high schools went into a full lockdown at approximately 12:30. The lockdown lasted about an hour, halting classes and startling students into facing the danger that political extremism can pose. 

Deering students feel that this election will directly impact their lives in unparalleled ways. They express deep concern about gun control; and today’s events serve as a reminder that our concerns go beyond what conversations or a strategic plan can address. This is by no means a reprimand to the board, simply a reminder that the entire Portland Public Schools community is addled by existential concern. 

On top of this, Deering students lead independent and mature lives with many responsibilities like holding jobs, taking college classes, and helping with their families’ finances. They have said that issues of healthcare access, foreign aid, the status of asylum seekers, and the housing crisis feel the most consequential to them today. 

In quick summary, Deering wrapped up our first Quarter of this school year last Friday. Many seniors have been working rigorously on their college application preparations with the help of our Make it Happen program, and semester-long classes moved into their second halves, some elevating their intensity as we approach a few long weekends and breaks. In addition to the academic engagements of Deering students, community building efforts are being carried out across the school in various clubs and activities. Finally, the Deering community is deeply engaged with civics and government from a global level, all the way to a state and local level. 

I’ll begin on the academic front. With the help of Deering’s new librarian Ms. Genre, and student volunteers from national Honors’ society, Deering is launching a new peer tutoring program where students can drop in to the library during our study hall Learning Center Block at the end of the day to get help from peers who excel in particular subjects. This initiative demonstrates the application of Deering’s motto, Learning Together, popularized by our wonderful Ms. Noor. 

As far as community building and school culture go, This Fall, every active Deering sports team made it to the play-offs or championships of their sport and the Deering Football team had their best record in 20 years. This is a testament to the dedication of Deering’s athletes and the skill of our coaches and supporting extracurricular staff. Winter sports like Basketball and swimming (go ramdogs!) will be starting their practices in the next few weeks. 

Deering’s Black Student Union hosted their first open gym evening at Deering a couple weeks ago. The event was open to students from Deering along with students from neighboring high schools like Portland and Waynflete. This was a way of connecting students of color from across the city and giving them a welcoming space to develop connections and build community. 

The arts at Deering are another outlet for students to enrich themselves and develop our school culture. This fall, the Drama Club will be putting on a production of the Addams’ Family Musical, and the cast members have been hard at work building sets, designing costumes, and rehearsing. Student members are also working on writing grants to help fund productions and to maintain their performance space. 

An exciting last note about the district’s art department:  On Thursday, October 10, The Portland Public Schools High School orchestra was welcomed to Merril auditorium, by the Portland Symphony, to sit in on their dress rehearsal for their concert with Yo Yo Ma. As a violinist with the High School orchestra, I wanted to share that following his rehearsal, Yo Yo Ma came over to speak with us all, even though we were told that was a privilege reserved for the donors of the symphony. When asked if he got nervous performing, he said that he has learned to temper his nerves by reminding himself that we are all just here to enjoy life and creativity, and that although he may have thousands of audience members watching him, we are really all just here, I quote, to have a party. Then he gave us all high fives, which left us shaking in awe, and I now walk into every audition or rehearsal repeating in my head that “it's party time, we’re all here just to enjoy.” 

To conclude, I want to talk about how Deering is preparing students to face a changing world and a time of political unrest. As I said before, Deering students are getting involved. It is remarkable for us to reflect that students in this district are immersing themselves in all possible levels of government: local, state, national, and international.

At the international level, Ambassadors from France, Central African Republic, and Gabonese Republic visited Deering a couple weeks ago to speak with the francophone students and anyone interested in learning about their roles as representatives. This visit was facilitated by Mr. Alexis Kanamaguire, Deering’s French teacher and the advisor of the French club, who has been crucial in bringing together and empowering French speaking students. 
 
At a national level of engagement, Deering students in the National Honors’ Society organized a voter registration drive and helped peers of voting age, or those over 16 years old, to register to vote and to understand the importance of participating in democracy. 

On this Friday, the High School Orchestra will get to celebrate a diverse group of people from all over the world as they take their official oaths to become American citizens. We will have the great honor and privilege of playing welcome music at the citizenship ceremony, and to witness the culmination of a long journey for these new Americans. 

The club Youth and Government, created two years ago at Deering is a state-level example of our students’ civic involvement. The club focuses on building student interest in smaller scale, local government, and it culminates with a three day conference in Augusta where students conduct mock legislative sessions. The cohort of 12 deering students attending this year will be leading committee meetings, participating in floor debates in the house and senate over bills they have helped to draft, and argue in front of a mock supreme court. The conference is to be held this weekend, and Deering's delegation includes many people elected to positions including senate committee chair, house committee chair, and the attorney general.  

Election day is about duty- the responsibility of citizens to step outside of their routines and consider issues which affect us all. This was apparent to Deering students as we entered school, curving around the line to vote that had formed by our gym. Election day is also about hope- the hope that our collective efforts, schooling, and ultimately our choices will improve the lives of everyone and make the world a better place. My hope is that whatever the outcome of today is, Portland Public Schools continues to uplift academic progress, cultural diversity, community, and encourages participation in our ongoing project of making this union more perfect.