Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Persuasion (not about the book) (09/01/11)
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TITLE: One Constitution? | Previous Challenge Entry
By Kellie Henningsen
09/08/11 -
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“Gabby! Get in here now!”
Gabby blew a bubble as she walked into the room. Her latest Trixie Belden book in her hands. “Yeah, Mom?”
“What is the meaning of this?” Mary could hardly form the words.
Gabby turned a few sheets of red and looked around the house to make sure her brother wasn’t in view. “Mom! Put that thing away!” she hissed.
“I will not until you explain yourself, young lady.”
Gabby grabbed her backpack and shuffled around for a minute finally pulling out two flyers. One was a “How to” guide on using a condom which Mary immediately grabbed. The other was from Planned Parenthood.
“Mom, Becky’s mother works for this place and a group from there came to our school today and told us stuff. They gave out those condom thingies and told us we should always have one on hand. You know…just in case.”
Mary could hardly breathe. The violation she felt for the intrusion into her daughter’s life was beyond comprehension. What right did the school have to try to persuade her daughter to carry something she had no reason knowing about yet?
What in the name of the U.S. Constitution gave them the right to do this?
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Patty sifted through her daughter’s backpack looking for the yearly release form she was supposed to sign for school photos. She found the typical notes from teachers, some candy wrappers, and a flyer with dumbbells on the front.
“Becky! Can you come here please?” Patty sat down on the couch and continued to dig into the bottomless depths.
Blowing a bubble and dancing to music on her ipod, Becky boogied into the room. Flipping out one of the ear buds, she flopped down on the couch. “Yeah, Mom? What’s up?”
“What is this flyer about?” Patty held it up with one hand while continuing to dig with the other.
“Oh, that. Yeah, some group Gabby knows came to our school yesterday and did some strength stuff. It was pretty cool.”
“Her…friends?" Patty tried to process the information. “Who where they? Why were they there?”
“I don’t know, Mom…it was pretty cool though. They just showed off what they can do. One bent a bar that was a ½ inch thick. Awesome stuff.”
Becky aimlessly flipped through her songs. “Oh, they’re having another show tonight and parents can come too. We should go – you’ll never believe what these guys can do.”
Patty agreed and later that night she walked into the school gymnasium alongside her daughter. Worship music blared as a band played on stage and words to songs streamed on a large wall behind them. Patty was immediately uncomfortable. “Becky? What is this?”
“I don’t know, Mom. There wasn’t any music in school. Just muscle men. Let’s get a seat up front.”
Patty instinctively steered her daughter toward the back instead knowing this was not going to end well. Before anything related to muscles happened, a man came up on stage and introduced himself as the pastor of the local church. He opened in a lengthy prayer and then invited people to attend their church on Sundays.
Squirming in her chair, Patty looked around. Music then kicked in again and the group of singers belted out songs while smiling in almost a creepy manner or so it seemed to Patty. The muscle men stood alongside the wall waiting for their turn on stage.
Patty could hardly breathe. The violation she felt for the intrusion into her family’s life was beyond comprehension. What right did the school have to expose her daughter to things she didn’t want her to learn? Who, in their right mind, would use tricks to cajole people to attend a church service?
What in the name of the U.S. Constitution gave them the right to do this?
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The first group came into the school, blatantly told their message, educated the children on a non academic subject, and handed out birth control options.
The second group came into the school, was not allowed to pray, was not allowed to use God’s name, was not allowed to pass out Bibles, and did the only thing they could – ask students to come back without being able to reveal the true reason for the evening show.
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Was either group right in what they did? Did both groups abide by the constitution?
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