1. Education: The public education system of the St. Louis area is disjointed. The program that buses inner-city students to suburban public schools is a cop-out on the public school system of the city of St. Louis. Instead of this strategy, state/federal funding would be better spent in the overhauling of inner-city schools. In the mean time, organizations such as K-12 Connections are designed for the betterment and not the abandonment of the public school system of the city of St. Louis.
2. Anti Drug Abuse Education: St. Louis has been deemed the Nation's most dangerous city by the 2010 CQ Press crime reports. While there are a number of different ways to confront this issue, the most efficient way to end anything dangerous and infections is still to locate the source and eliminate it. According to a study called "Project DARE: No Effects at 10-Year Follow-Up", The D.A.R.E. program has had no effect on keeping kids and teens across the country off of drugs. In some areas, children who graduated from the program even showed higher rates of drug abuse than children who had not taken the 10-week course. Recently, D.A.R.E. has taken these criticisms and attempted to re-design its approach. Further research will be needed on the new program, but depending on its success level, it could be possible to recommend it to the public school system of St. Louis city.
3. St. Louis Identity Crisis: While attending a leadership conference in the summer of 2009, I had the opportunity to mingle with students from across the country. Before this conference, I thought St. Louis was a legitimate city with a sizable reputation. However, after a day at the conference, it was clear that most of the students believed that St. Louis was just like every other rural area in the mid-west. After students met me with surprised expressions because of my "normal" attire (this meant that I was, in fact, not wearing overalls and toting a pitchfork and/or firearm), I decided that St. Louis had an identity crisis on its hands. This still surprises me because of the City's rich ancient history. Over five-hundred years ago, St. Louis was home to one of the largest Native American cities in American history. This civilization had trade and cultural influence as far west as Arizona and as far south as the Gulf of Mexico. While Cahokia mounds is well known to St. Louis residents, the massive cave network under the streets of the city that once marked an even more massive hub of trade, politics, and culture is almost unheard of. St. Louis has enough ancient history to fill Museums. A revival of this history could also mean a revival of the urban culture of St. Louis. For these reasons, this aspect of our identity must take a larger step forward. The Missouri Archaeological society (MAS) is filled with experts whose knowledge of this topic is abundant. As a five-year member, I believe the society's involvement would be necessary in order to move this idea forward.
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