I am writing in response to both the original "Manifesto" that I found in my locker on the first of December and its follow-up.  This "Manifesto" may have been a good idea in the beginning, but I believe that it was poorly thought and carried out.  I am a student of Rideau District High School and I have something to say, too.

I'm glad that you have opinions and concerns about our school, but there are other ways of expressing these.  To distribute to the student body an anonymous "Manifesto" without identifying your sources is not the way to get results.  If you truly believe in your cause and are committed to it, you will have the guts to go through the proper channels.  You still haven't identified yourself in your follow-up. 

I believe that in the "Manifesto" you didn't have your facts straight.  Since most of the student body might not have known much about the issues you addressed, many might believe what was given to them.  If you provide information that is untrue, you could misguide the entire student body.  It is a good thing for the students to know what is going on in their school, but they need to know the truth.  I appreciate that you took the time to verify some facts with the administration in your follow-up.

At the end of the original "Manifesto" was printed, "By the students, for the students."  I do not appreciate you speaking for the entire student body without consulting the student body. That is exactly what you were accusing the parent council and the administration of doing: not consulting the students.  Although I agreed with some of the things you were saying, I do not want people to think that I believe in something I don't.

You say that things have changed.  What things?  The drink machines are still there, they are still Coke, and they still cost $1.50.  We still don't know where you got most of your facts, and we, the student's, still haven't been consulted.  There is still a big heap of dirt called a "track" on the school yard.

You claim that the administration was not telling the students about new changes in our school.  I, for one, have enough faith in the administration of our school to know that if something truly important that involved the students came up, we would be notified and consulted.

Perhaps the next time you act, you should think before speaking for all of us.