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Welcome to the Unsilenced Voices of CMSD, a blog for reporting, musings and other creative work by high school students with Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Interested in signing your student up, or have questions about the content? Contact project coordinator Conor Morris, cmorris40@gmail.com.
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Why I think the legal age for concealed carry should be increased in Ohio
Dec. 12, 2024, Errion Edgerson
I have observed alarming incidents where students have been pursued with firearms, putting lives at risk due to conflicts stemming from high-school rivalries. Making concealed carry legal only for people in their mid-to-late 20s would greatly enhance the safety of my peers and I, providing us with a sense of security that we currently lack when going to and leaving school. -
Civics 2.0 program teaches students about government, political process
Nov. 5, 2024, Errion Edgerson
The Civics 2.0 program at Cleveland Metropolitan School District this year is teaching students about the importance of being civically engaged. CMSD employees involved with the program say it benefits young people at the school district, and say it's inspired by a need to teach students about how things like elections and the government work. Unsilenced Voices of CMSD blogger Errion Edgerson interviewed both the program's founder and the Civics 2.0 adviser at his school, Collinwood High School. -
CMSD teachers union president makes the case for Cleveland school levy
Nov. 4, 2024, Owen Pennington
CMSD has a joint bond issue and operating levy on the ballot this November. To learn more about Issue 49, blogger Owen Pennington spoke to Cleveland Teachers Union President Shari Obrenski. -
What's being done to prevent drowning deaths at Cleveland's Metroparks?
June 11, 2024, Owen Pennington
Recently, the Cleveland Metroparks discussed their budget and their plans for reform and continuity in the upcoming year; however, my interest was piqued during the public comment section about a different topic. One commenter asked the Metroparks commissioners about their responses to drowning. Specifically, she mentioned Wallace Lake in Berea, where four people in the last 3 years have died due to drowning. -
Explaining CMSD's finances, at a student level
May 24, 2024, Chardon Black
Amid major decisions being made by the CEO’s administration and the board regarding Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s (CMSD) finances for the upcoming school year and beyond, we at the Unsilenced Voices sat down with Chief Financial Officer Kevin Stockdale to get a stronger understanding of just what exactly is going on, without all the fancy language and charts. We’ve paraphrased what Stockdale told us below, into language students can understand. -
Glenville's football team made CMSD proud; can they repeat their championship win next year?
May 24, 2024, Elijah Reeves
The Glenville Tarblooders pulled off an impressive state championship win last December; the only question on my mind now is, can they do it again next year? The Tarblooders went 13-3 in the 23-24 season in spite of facing some very tough competition. -
What does the Cleveland Community Police Commission do?
May 24, 2024, Henry Hodge
I covered a recent Cleveland Community Police Commission (CPC) meeting for the Cleveland Documenters and learned the committee faces a lot of challenges in trying to improve and review police practices. -
The power of dance, and what I learned from a stint as Ohio's attorney general
May 6, 2024, Owen Pennington
I learned a lot at the 2024 Youth and Government conference in Columbus, including about the power of dance. For those who don’t know, CMSD has a program called Civics 2.0, in which students have opportunities to get politically involved in their communities with programs like voter registration and activism. At the end of this program, students have an opportunity to attend the YMCA’s Youth and Government conference, where they write bills and go through a mock government session with students serving as elected officials, including the governor and the Ohio Legislature. -
CMSD is cutting funds for some after-school programs; I attended one as a kid
May 6, 2024, Aaliyah Abdul-Basit
When I heard Cleveland Metropolitan School District would be cutting some after-school programs, I was surprised, because one of these programs was important for me when I was younger. I learned about the cuts while watching a CMSD Board of Education meeting in February, when I took notes on the meeting for the Cleveland Documenters -
How taking the RTA bus to school helped me find my way, literally and figuratively
April 29, 2024, Chardon Black
For the past three years, like hundreds of other high schoolers who get a free bus pass from Cleveland Metropolitan School District, I’ve taken the bus to and from school basically every single day. Sitting in those blue Greater Cleveland RTA seats and staring out the foggy windows has done more than just bore me, but developed me into the dedicated scholar I am today. Here’s how: -
A poem about going away to college
April 28, 2024, Kayden Ferris
I’m Kayden Ferris, I'm a senior at CMSD and this is my poem about college. I wrote it for high schoolers transitioning out of K-12, or who are otherwise considering going to college. My hope is they know things will turn out okay! -
The pros and cons of the welfare system: Both Sides with Stephen Conner
Jan. 31, 2024, Stephen Conner
In this episode of Both Sides with Stephen Conner, CMSD alum and Civics 2.0 intern Stephen Conner talks about the welfare system, and the challenges and benefits associated with it. -
Why Ohio made a mistake on Issue 2
Jan. 17, 2024, Owen Pennington
While I respect the decision of the voters and am proud to call myself a citizen of a country allowing votes on matters like Issue 2, I do believe Ohio voters made a grave mistake in allowing the usage of marijuana legally; here’s why. -
A poem about my name
Jan. 14, 2024, Aaliyah Yasmeen Abdul Basit
Hi, I’m Aaliyah Yasmeen Abdul Basit. I’m very fond of my first and middle name, Aaliyah Yasmeen The name speaks volume, the way it rolls off the tongue and into the ears of those who are listening -
What do Clevelanders need to know about the (vacant) public safety inspector general role?
Jan. 4, 2024, Owen Pennington
Recently, Cleveland City Council’s safety committee has discussed the need to hire an inspector general over police, a position which currently isn’t filled. While covering those meetings for the Cleveland Documenters, I was curious about this job and what the inspector general will do. Cleveland reportedly hasn’t had a person in that role since 2021.
