Greenwood High School report: Spirit at the Square

Editor’s note: The City Wire invited journalism students from Greenwood High School to obtain real-world reporting experience by researching, writing and contributing stories to The City Wire.

story by Lauren Smith and Morgan Schaub, Greenwood High School journalism students

“Hallelujah!”

This is the phrase likely to be heard during the next few weeks in Greenwood.

The Greenwood High School FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) presents “Spirit at the Square” which takes place April 11, the Saturday before Easter. The event is a time for the community of Greenwood and surrounding FCA school groups to come together and worship with song and student testimonies.

The promotion of this event around the GHS campus has sparked the popular debate of religion and its role in public schools.
 
Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun said, “When the government puts its imprimatur on a particular religion it conveys a message of exclusion to all those who do not adhere to the favored beliefs. A government cannot be premised on the belief that all personas are created equal when it asserts that God prefers some.”

Do organizations such as FCA cross any precincts?

“Groups of that nature need to be proportioned in a way in which all religions can join,” said student teacher Robert Snyder.

From a legal standpoint, however, FCA does not violate any restrictions because it is a student organization.

“Many people believe prayer has been banned in public schools, and that’s just not true,” said Greenwood Superintendent Kay Johnson.

In reality, student-sponsored prayer breaks face no legal restrictions in Arkansas. However, it is illegal for a faculty member to encourage or engage in discussions with students about his or her religious beliefs.

“I do not think any teacher at Greenwood high school breaks the law of separating church and state. Our teachers leave the topic of religion between the students,” said Greenwood Senior Amelia Panis.

Dr. Kay Johnson believes that one positive aspect that FCA brings to Greenwood is its tendency to promote good citizenship. When asked if she had any knowledge of anyone being offended about Christian organizations on campus, Dr. Johnson replied by stating that she “hopes no students feel pressured,” and that she has received no complaints on the matter.

A GHS Sophomore said, “I feel as though GHS has one majority religion, but that does not mean that we discriminate against others.”