Patriotic schools

Every September during Constitution Day, Principal Sue Davies would invite local veterans, a living example of those who have defended the Constitution, to discuss the significance of citizenship with students at both schools. Every November, Principal Davies would have a breakfast at Cunningham Elementary on Veteran’s Day for local veterans to not only honor those who have bravely answered the call to defend our freedom, but also to allow the students to see that these men and women are their friends and neighbors and in many instances their relatives. With last week’s decision by the Fluvanna County School Board to close the elementary schools at Cunningham and Columbia due to the county’s untenable financial situation these communities are losing a sense of neighborhood the schools helped to foster. Decentralization and independence has always been a cornerstone of our representative Republic. Cunningham Elementary, in particular, with its yearly fair provided local citizens an attachment to their local community. As a combat veteran I lament the loss of these schools and the social capital that they and Sue Davies brought.