The Federal Way community enthusiastically wrapped its arms around local students at a youth rally on Saturday.
Hundreds of attendees, there to show they were “united in greatness,” celebrated local students, including Act Six scholarship recipients, speech and debate winners, and athletic teams who won state championships. They cheered on dancers and a drum line and listened intently to poets and singers.
“Federal Way Public Schools has great things happening, and don’t let anyone tell you anything differently,” said Federal Way Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Tammy Campbell at the United in Greatness rally. “Our kids are doing great things.”
Organized by high school seniors across the district, the rally at Celebration Park was a way to inspire students and show everyone that the school system and the students that comprise it are more than a marijuana deal gone terribly wrong.
“We had a student who lost their life,” Campbell said to the crowd. “This happened about a month ago and it was a tragedy.”
That student, 16-year-old Wesley Gennings, attended Decatur High School. Two Federal Way Public Schools students, a 16-year-old and a 14-year-old, are currently jailed on murder charges related to Gennings’ death.
Campbell spoke to community leader Bobby Jennings about ways they could pull the community together so it “can see the incredible things that happen every single day in our 39 schools with our 22,500 students.”
She said she hears about students earning scholarships, going to state competitions and writing poetry, and she wanted to find a way to highlight that.
“I wanted to empower students, so when they go back to their schools, they have a community that believes in them and a community that wants to empower them to stand up for what’s right, and not necessarily let 1 percent of the kids dominate,” Campbell said, adding that she wants students to know their superintendent believes in them.
With the help of those student organizers, the idea for the rally quickly became a reality. T-shirts were designed, a date was set and diverse students with unique talents were recruited.
“We’re not always together across racial groups, across language groups, across religious groups, and it’s important for people to look around the room and see that beauty; that quilt,” Campbell said. “That’s us and that’s our strength. That’s our asset.”
Campbell said Federal Way is representative of the global culture, and she wanted to ensure that was also something highlighted in the rally.
Jennings’ message for the community was also one of encouragement.
Expanding on Benjamin Franklin’s quote – “If you tell me, I’ll forget. If you teach me, I may remember. But if you involve me, I’ll learn” – Jennings said it was important for students and the community to stay involved as they strive for greatness.
“We want to see this community thrive; we want to see this community grow,” Jennings said. “That was our purpose and, as a result, you see that happening today.”
Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell said seeing students stand firm against misconceptions and adversity made him “feel great about life.”
“During times of trouble, it’s often easy to look away or say, ‘This is not my problem,'” Ferrell said. “Fortunately, the students and faculty who organized this rally have said, ‘We believe in ourselves, we believe in our community and we believe, most importantly, we believe in our future.'”
Ferrell said the school district won’t be defined by the tragedy of Gennings’ death, but rather by how they’ve responded to it.
“You know, politicians often like to gather and speak of the next generation,” he said to students at the rally. “They talk about the future like it’s some distance place. Well, I’m here to tell you now: You are the future, and it looks brighter than ever.”
United in Greatness rally student performers:
Thomas Jefferson High School
TJ Crouts recited a poem
Jade Barnhart sang
Todd Beamer High School
Nana Lemaveve sang
Tibou Bangoura and Damira Flavors recited poetry and sang
Nadia and Nahjan Bell recited poetry
Federal Way Public Academy
Ahmonee Woods, (Seongmin) “Olivia” Lee, (Sungryeong) “Sarah” Lee, Amel Barbour, Hana Azzam, Lisa Smith and Catie Liu danced
Truman High School
Mares (Mario) Ortiz danced
Decatur High School
Ariana Steen sang
TAF Academy
Zende Kalyan Jacobs recited poetry
Federal Way High School
Mayra Bonilla and Juan Gutierrez performed the unity dance
