The Temple News recently launched a partnership with Mighty Writers, an educational writing nonprofit for Philadelphia students. As part of this collaboration, the students at Mighty Writers’ North Philadelphia branch came together to voice their opinions on Temple’s proposed on-campus stadium.
Jalah Green
Eighth grade
Eastern University Academy Charter High School
Dear Temple University,
I think you building a football stadium is a bad idea. Kids in this area need to focus more on their work and do not need distractions. And there is a lot going on whereas a student and a child, I believe that it is wrong. You’re taking away a park and a track field. You already took half of this area for your students. What more do they need? And some of your students think it is wrong, because you can’t have everything.
Danielle Mason
10th grade
Philadelphia Military Academy High School
A new stadium? Why are you trying to build a new stadium? Do they have the money for that? I believe building a new stadium will cause a lot of chaos. There are two high schools right near Temple. The Philadelphia Military Academy High School is practically on Temple’s campus. I attend the Philadelphia Military Academy High School, and when I walk outside I see Temple students walking up and down the street. Imagine how it would be if they were to build a football stadium — so much contact with high school students and college students. I believe college students should not be connected on a friendly level. Building a stadium will also move people out of their homes. Temple is largely populated and has a lot of acres for property. I just believe that Temple has enough buildings. It’s like they are trying to build their own little city in the middle of North Philly. So please do not build a stadium.
Jalen Peterson
9th grade
Julia Reynolds Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School
First off, I have only one important opinion: emotion doesn’t belong in an opinion piece. Reason does. OK, now you know that this paper has no emotion. Continue reading if you want.
I don’t live in North Philly. I don’t live near the universities, the projects, the copy-and-pasted houses lined up one by one. I frankly don’t care if it’s all knocked down. Whatever they put in its place will just be unhelpful, just like the conversation on the stadium as a whole. Gentrification is a problem, but it’s not the BIG problem. It’s one of the spin-off problems attached to the BIG problem, which is education, or the lack of it for minorities. Bias, wage gap, de facto segregation, gentrification, prejudice. All of these are caused by a lack of education.
Example: How come so many black teens don’t get internships unlike their white counterparts and end up having to work at McDonald’s serving pink sludge shaped like McNuggets? Good question!
Reason: The shadow organizations hired behind the spread of democracy, capitalism and consumerism need obedient workers to supply those with money, condos and stocks with fast food, sanitation services and a feeling of superiority. Their solution is to provide top-quality education for the rich, white population, and low-quality education for the minorities. It’s all a system of needs and wants. Think about it.
If our world finally achieved universal equality for all races, who would do the low-paying jobs? The black people with master’s degrees and scholarships? No. The immigrants with well-educated children and low-risk financial situations? No. The reanimated corpses with no need for food, water, housing and therefore money? I don’t think they will.
Everything has a price. No one is willing to pay for the worthwhile stuff. And also, what would be the psychological effects of equality? Everyone needs an enemy. How many times have you joked about other races and their differences? For equality to be achieved, there mustn’t be any differences.
But hey, this isn’t about equality. This is about gentrification, that big evil thing. That stadium that will provide low-education jobs such as food and water serving, security and sanitation. Wait, I shouldn’t mention that. I should mention the people getting paid off to move out of their HOMES! Families are stuff. How evil! Who would want to move out of such a nice neighborhood?
Brianna Crooks
11th grade
George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science
Temple has provided a proposal to build a football stadium. Who doesn’t love football? The only issue is that the stadium would be built across the street from the place I call my second home, George Washington Carver HSES. This is an issue because this establishment is a school, a place where students from seventh to 12th grade receive a decent education. Although Temple has offered to give George Washington Carver HSES a pretty penny for our building, many difficulties lie on the other side of the spectrum. Students will be forced out of their classrooms, teachers will be removed from their classrooms where they have taught for years, parents will have to search for new blue-collar schools because of the distraction of a stadium being built near the school. Just the idea of a stadium being built across the street can lead to a foreshadow of further expansion on a stadium built on our school grounds.
Isaac Mooney
10th grade
George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science
In my opinion, I think having a new stadium is a bad idea because it takes up too much space. Also, they make things so messy. I don’t think anybody wants to waste their time building a big stadium so Temple can have their games. In my opinion, this is all publicity just to make Temple look good. They want to be in competition, so their peers can be more attractive to them and want other college students to come to Temple. This can make Temple a hot topic. Also, it can gain Temple money for their fundings. Most D1 colleges have their own stadium, and Temple feels like they should.
Philip Rodriguez
12th grade
Charter High School for Architecture and Design
How I feel about the Temple stadium is that Temple shouldn’t be expanding their “wings” so far. Kicking people out of their homes is wrong, and now you have homeless people on the street. I so disagree with Temple upgrading everything they own like every five years. If it started affecting me, I would totally fight back. Let’s fight Temple.
Speak the TRUTH children! Out of the mouths of babes.