Some of the very first photos I ever took were at Clayton Elementary. The school had been condemned twice by the time I was there in the early 90s. Ceilings leaked, walls crumbled, textbooks were moldy, asbestos was being removed while kids sat in classrooms. I even wrote to the Troubleshooters asking for new books and a new school.
When I left after 5th grade, the building closed for good. Years later, the Town raised money to fix it up, not as a school for kids, but as Town Hall for themselves (complete with an expensive parking lot they fought the neighbors over, while downtown businesses still struggle with parking today).
Some people will say, “schools are the county’s problem.” Maybe so. But the bigger problem is that it shouldn’t take a 4th grader with a camera to push for better. And yet, that’s been the pattern here in Clayton my whole life: real problems are ignored, unless they directly affect those in charge.
For anyone who thinks I’m “doing this for clicks or followers,” those didn’t exist in 1994, when I was already speaking up. I’m not doing this for likes now, either. You may not always agree with me, and that’s fine. But I want what’s best for Clayton and always have.
I’ve been this person my whole life. And I won’t stop pushing for better, for all of us. Now that the building is fixed, it’s time to let some sunshine in.
