1994-1995 Harry Singer Foundation National Essay Contest

Alternatives: Proposals For Local Governments Struggling With Limited Resources
Teacher: Patrick Murphy

Ramsey High School, Ramsey, Illinois

1st Kara Merriman           2nd Jillian Harbert        3rd Andrea Horenstine

"As a challenge from the Harry Singer Foundation, the students of the sociology and American government classes of Ramsey High School in Ramsey, Illinois, a small town in central Illinois, were to conduct a survey to find out local needs."
Bill Eddy, Ramsey High School, Ramsey, Illinois

 "Recently the American government class, in conjunction with the sociology class of Ramsey High School, united and discussed possible ways to improve our community without raising taxes. The classes [discussed] ways people [can] come together with the community, or individually, to subsidize tax money. [We discussed why] some communities were successful while others were not. The classes formulated a plan to better understand the needs of the community."
Angi Nash, Ramsey High School, Ramsey, Illinois

 "The classes have also proposed that we start a recycling program. The recycling project would have all the classes in the school bring in cans and have volunteers from our classes go and pick up the items during the day. The classes would store the cans in back of the high school in a small shed. Then volunteers would take the cans to the nearest recycling center, which is in Vandalia, about 20 miles south of Ramsey. The recycling program would raise enough funds to help support the police service."
Christa Rosenberger, Ramsey High School, Ramsey, Illinois

 "One alternative the classes came up with for funding is to recycle. Paper, plastic, and aluminum cans can be collected at the school. The Lion's Club will then take the collection to Vandalia, Illinois. A second alternative is to get volunteers from the community to get together to form a neighborhood watch."
Patsy Pease, Ramsey High School, Ramsey, Illinois

 "The community said that they would feel safe with a neighborhood watch system. People would have to be willing to volunteer their time in order for this system to work. In a small community, like Ramsey, this system would work because everyone knows each other. In a larger community, people would have to be very cooperative and make sure everyone has their neighbor's phone number."
Christa Rosenberger, Ramsey High School, Ramsey, Illinois

"Good things come to those who wait. I really think that everyone will work together and no one will care how long it takes as long as we get it done."
Jillian Harbert, Ramsey High School, Ramsey, Illinois

"Local police are needed very much in Ramsey. I had a wreck about two weeks ago, and it took 45 minutes for the police to get to the accident site two blocks from Ramsey High School."
Jennifer Austin, Ramsey High School, Ramsey, Illinois

"This year at Ramsey High School, the American government and sociology classes participated in an activity to better the community. The [class] surveyed the community and [uncovered] needs that tax money did not [alleviate]. The class looked for laws that stood in the way of accomplishing the objective. They then figured out ways to raise money for the project without raising taxes."
Brandon Luster, Ramsey High School, Ramsey, Illinois

"The thought of taxes going up is very unpleasant for everyone, so throughout this paper I, along with my class,  will give alternative methods to [obtain] services needed by the community."
Kris Franklin, Ramsey High School, Ramsey, Illinois

"[Our] American Government class also published an article [in the] local town newspaper letting everyone know that we would appreciate cooperation in this survey and listing the results of the first survey. This also gave others the opportunity to let us know how they felt and [express] their opinion on what our community needs most."
Jillian Harbert, Ramsey High School, Ramsey, Illinois

"Next, the two classes talked to a volunteer lawyer. He told us about the restrictions and regulations that coordinated with the alternatives."
Amy Ertel, Ramsey High School, Ramsey, Illinois

"As a class we were worried that there [might be] a law that would prohibit us from getting a police officer. I talked to our mayor and he informed us that there was nothing to worry about. As long as the officer was qualified and as long as we did not break any laws in getting the money."
Jillian Harbert, Ramsey High School, Ramsey, Illinois

"When our classes researched the laws to confirm we could do this legally, we found you cannot do something if you do not have the proper training. For example, the neighborhood watch program: the volunteers could not take the law into their own hands and try to apprehend criminals. (Volunteers) would have to call professional police to respond to the problem. With the recycling, the people who donate their materials could only drop them off. They could not smash the materials using the heavy machinery. Professionals would take care of the additional work."
Andrea Hortenstine, Ramsey High School, Ramsey, Illinois

"When discussing laws, there are two major categories, criminal and civil. Criminal law is a proceeding of the state against one suspected of a crime and civil law settles disputes between two or more parties. (Torts) are concerned with the prevention of, or compensation for harm sustained by a person through the unlawful or dangerous activity of others. The law of tort regulates an individual's behavior ranging from physical attack and dangerous negligent conduct to violations of damage to one's social reputation. Tort suits are brought by injured people as private plaintiffs. Presently under common law, torts are distinguished between those that are intentional and those that are negligent. So even someone who was not intentionally trying to break a law could do so by trying to take the law into their own hands."Dana Engle, Ramsey High School, Ramsey, Illinois

"Some unemployment is caused by people just not being able to find a job, while other unemployment is caused by people's way of life or skill being discontinued. This is obvious when looking at the small family farmer who has been put out of business by the big farmers and the government; or the factory worker whosefactory has moved overseas. To combat this type of unemployment, the government has developed a program called the displaced worker program. In this program the government will furnish individuals with an education or the training required to get another job in a new area."
Dana Engle, Ramsey High School, Ramsey, Illinois

"Recycling will not take jobs away, in fact, it is going to provide jobs for police officers. The classes thought that recycling might affect a local citizen who collects cans, but É decided it would not affect him because he collects from trash cans and ditches. The community would be getting É cans, paper, or plastic from people donating the recyclable materials, not from trash."
Amy Wonnell, Ramsey High School, Ramsey, Illinois

"However, along with incentives there are disincentives. These include the time people have to take to deliver the recyclable items to the recycling bins. In both the neighborhood watch program and the recycling program, the community will have to find volunteers to donate their time to collect the recyclable items and to patrol the neighborhood. In the case of the neighborhood watch, it can be a nuisance to people if they are having a visitor and their neighbors are calling them and warning them of a stranger being at their house when it's only a visitor. These are only small problems and they won't cause much harm."
Amy Ertel, Ramsey High School, Ramsey, Illinois

                                                                                                                                    Back