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Canfield student organizes town hall event with gubernatorial candidate
By Justin Wier
CANFIELD
“I feel like I was with Anderson Cooper,” said state Sen. Joe Schiavoni of Boardman, D-33rd. “This guy is serious.”
He was talking about Canfield High School sophomore Vince Patierno, who moderated a town hall meeting with Schiavoni on Friday. Patierno organized the event through The Cardinal, the school’s student newspaper.
Patierno said the paper was looking for ways to engage politically, and he had the idea of having town hall events with candidates for governor. He reached out to Schiavoni on Twitter, and his dream became a reality.
“I didn’t expect the response to be as quick as it was,” Patierno said. “It’s exciting.”
The one-hour discussion focused on education, but also touched on important issues including the opioid crisis and job creation. Students filmed the conversation and broadcast it on Facebook.
In response to a question about standardized testing, Schiavoni said he would push for the minimal amount of testing allowed by federal law. The current level of testing can adversely impact other important areas, he said.
“It’s important to get real world experience,” Schiavoni said. “But sometimes it’s not possible with all the testing that’s layered on students.”
He added that standardized tests don’t always acknowledge differences between students, and that the tests should measure growth rather than proficiency.
“It’s not like we’re making cars here,” Schiavoni said.
“Everybody’s a little different and we can’t mold them all into the same shape.”
He also advocated for greater oversight of charter schools.
Many of the questions from students and faculty dug into the senator’s views on the opioid epidemic. He gave Gov. John Kasich credit for taking it seriously, but said many of the state’s actions have been reactionary and not particularly proactive.
Schiavoni would like to see more investment in education and rehabilitation along with providing police departments with the resources they need to deal with the crisis.
The senator was impressed by Patierno’s initiative. He said it might be valuable for high schools to have similar events in the future – not just with gubernatorial candidates, but with local politicians and candidates for school board.
“Any time high-school students want to get involved in the political process, I think it’s good,” he said. “I think you get a lot of good feedback from young people.”
Canfield teacher Chris Jennings, adviser for The Cardinal, said Patierno took the lead on planning the event, and it was all his idea.
“I try to emphasize that we want to do big things, but this is rare,” Jennings said. “This is real. This is real-world stuff.”
He hopes Schiavoni is just the first candidate for governor to appear at the school.