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Praying for Children
YOUNGSTOWN
Now in her senior year at Chaney High School, Ayasha Gordon, 17, said she has witnessed the ongoing changes in Youngstown City Schools.
“Things could be improved,” she said. “It seemed unorganized to the students.”
Gordon and her cousin Lindsay Renea, who owns a dance theatre on the East Side, attended the “It’s About The Children” prayer rally on the steps outside the Nathaniel Jones Federal Courthouse downtown Sunday afternoon.
“We’re here to support the specific cause of supporting the children,” Renea said.
The prayer rally focused on the needs of the children in Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley after the state decision to take over the failing city school district in late June.
“We’re scared,” Gordon said. “We don’t know what’s going to happen to us.”
Gov. John Kasich’s administration worked with Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber CEO Tom Humphries, Bishop George Murry of the Youngstown Catholic Diocese, Youngstown State University President Jim Tressel and others in the community on what became known as the Youngstown Plan.
The new law establishes a process for managing failing school districts, such as Youngstown’s, by placing them in the hands of an appointed chief executive officer. The latter would have authority to replace school administrators and central office staff, close schools, hire new employees, set teacher class loads, curriculum, class sizes and compensation rates, among other administrative decisions.
Youngstown school officials, Mahoning Valley lawmakers and others have been vocal in their criticism of the plan, and a lawsuit has been filed to stop it from taking effect.
“The governor said it will happen,” said Rosie Taylor, assistant pastor at Christ Center Church and a speaker at the rally.
But she added that the rally is not meant to express an opinion one way or another, but to ask for God’s intercession of the school district’s future.
“The total focus is to be prayer on the kids,” said Deborah Benton, rally coordinator. “We didn’t want to politicize it anyway.”
Benton coordinated the rally on behalf of Pastor Gary Frost, the original organizer, who was in North Carolina on another engagement.
“He may be absent in the body, but he’s present in the spirit,” said Pastor William Burney of Word in Action Ministry.
He oversaw the four prayer segments that focused on the community, children, teachers and parents. Words from the Old and New testaments echoed throughout downtown from the following prayer leaders: Rev. Ed Noga, pastor of St. Patrick Church; Sister Ruth Rojas of Spanish Evangelical Church; Rev. Al Yanno of Metro Assembly of God; Lock Beachum Jr. of Victory Christian Center. Other prayer leaders included Brandon King, Olivia Kitchen and Sister Elaine Linden. Gail Nevels-Stringer also performed renditions of “What About the Children?,” and the “Lord’s Prayer.”
“It’s about the children and not any other agenda,” Yanno said.
But the importance of prayer was another message emphasized at the rally. Up to about 50 people attended the rally with some coming close together and a few arms in the air as they pray for Youngstown’s children and school system.
“I know prayer will make a difference in this session today,” Burney said.
As for Gordon, she said she plans to attend Kent State University to study physical therapy.
“[And] minoring in dance,” she added with a laugh.