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Wilton Bulletin
Wilton residents, parents and students speak out on 'Voices'

Apr 19, 2007

Sgt. David Mills, a WHS graduate who has served four tours in Iraq spoke with the Board of Education. %u2014Jeff Yates photos

James Presson and Tim Canty looked away quickly as the two almost bumped into one another before the start of the Board of Education meeting last week.

James is one of the students expected to go off-Broadway to stage “Voices in Conflict,” Mr. Canty is the principal at Wilton High School who requested more work be done on the script before it goes on stage at school. The performance has gained media attention worldwide with regard to the script, which uses soldiers’ words to discuss the war in Iraq.

James Presson, a member of the 'Voices' cast, said the school should allow the play to go on.

“We’re planning on doing two or so performances at the Culture Project the second weekend of June and a single performance at the Public Theater on June 15,” said senior Seth Koproski, a member of the cast, in an e-mail about the New York venues where the play will be performed.

The teacher, Bonnie Dickinson, has told The Bulletin, under advice of her attorney, that she can not speak with the press.

Approximately 50 people packed into the meeting at WHS Thursday night to listen to comments about “Voices in Conflict.” Nearly half the audience spoke to the school board about how they feel about the issues surrounding the play.

“This is the first time this board has met as a board since the March 24 issue of The New York Times,” said Karen Birck, board chair. Before opening the meeting to public comment, Ms. Birck reviewed the Board of Education’s policies on public comment. The board would hear what the public had to say, she said, but wouldn’t necessarily comment or respond to questions. That was the only remark the school board made on “Voices in Conflict.” Dr. Gary Richards did read a statement from the administration towards the end of the meeting, after most of the audience had left.

Student treatment

One resident expressed concern about how the members of the advanced theater class are being treated in school following media coverage of the story. She said students are being harassed and called “theater fags.” Other members of the public have approached The Bulletin with the same concerns.

The Bulletin has asked students in the play, and those opposed to it, how they are being treated at school, and all have said they are being supported.

“At school we generally have supporters, although there are a few who are just really annoying about it; some kids think we’re just doing it for attention, for the publicity, so we have something to write in our college essay (fat lot that did for me, right?), and stuff like that,” wrote Seth in an e-mail to The Bulletin. “The only major antagonism is kids who felt we ‘misrepresented’ Wilton in our portrayal of the school as a ‘largely sheltered’ place and are angry at Devon Fontaine for his facetious comment about how everyone at Wilton only cares about Britney Spears and Tyra Banks. They’re sort of just splitting hairs, and a lot of us just look at it as people trying to pick a fight with us for some reason or another, so we don’t let it bother us at all.”

The Army

“Just because we’re not doing the play at the school as of right now, we still feel that the war is an issue that needs to be addressed in the school,” said James, who was the first member of the public to address the board.

He said some of the students at WHS can vote, and are handed Army recruitment brochures at school. He said students need to be informed — in the soldiers’ own words — what exactly enlisting in the Army could bring them.

“It is something we should be thinking about, it is something we should talk about,” James said.

Wilton resident Sgt. David Mills spoke during the public comment session dressed in his Marine Corps uniform.

Sgt. Mills, a member of the WHS class of 2001 who has completed four tours of duty in Iraq, spoke about hearing then-principal Deborah Low come over the loud speaker at Wilton High School following the attacks of Sept. 11. Four days later, at age 17, he enlisted, he said.

“I never thought about it before then,” he said about his choice to enlist, during an interview following the public comments.

During public comments, he spoke about “Voices in Conflict.” He said he thinks the show should go on, but should show a more positive side to the conflict in Iraq.

“We’re focused too much on the death and destruction, and not why these men and women” go into harm’s way, Sgt. Mills said. “We need to focus on these men, and why they go over there continually.” He said there have been two Medal of Honor recipients in the war in Iraq, but questioned whether most people knew that, or knew the names of the soldiers who had won the nation’s highest military honor.

After his comments, the crowd applauded.

The Bulletin spoke with Sgt. Mills outside the Board of Education meeting.

“I agree with Dr. Richards’ assessment; it’s an academic class,” he said.

However, he said the show should still go on.

“They should perform,” Sgt. Mills said about the students. “They should make sure it’s fair and balanced.”

How can it be fair and balanced? He said to make sure all viewpoints are shown, every single person would have to be on stage, clearly an impossible task. He said maybe a compromise with the administration should be worked out to make it balanced. He said he put an offer to Mr. Canty to give a presentation to WHS students about his time in Iraq. As of this past week, he said he hadn’t received an answer. The Bulletin’s press time was during school vacation week, and this offer could not be followed up.

Sgt. Mills is currently in the Marines and is in inactive ready reserve. He’s been home since February and heard about the “Voices” conflict from a friend.

He came there that night to “express my view as a Wilton High School graduate.”

No changes

Of the roughly 20 people who addressed the school board regarding “Voices in Conflict,” most spoke in favor of having the students stage the performance at the high school. And many said the school should not try to make any changes to the production.

Kathleen Warner said the issue at hand is the high school’s commitment to free speech. She also questioned the behind-the-scenes meetings between school officials and the parent who raised concerns about the play.

“It’s not entirely clear what transpired between Ms. Alessi and Mr. Canty,” Ms. Warner said. “I think the town of Wilton has a right to know.”

Barbara Alessi brought concerns to Mr. Canty about the value of “Voices in Conflict,” and a review of the script followed, shortly before the show was postponed. Since then Ms. Alessi said she has asked for an administrative review of Ms. Dickinson’s actions. The Bulletin could not confirm her claim.

Toni Lee addressed the board as well.

“The fact that we are really discussing this is a real positive,” she said.

She said “an awful lot of censorship” has been going on around town. She said The Bulletin had received a student-written column regarding “Voices in Conflict,” before the March 24, article in The New York Times, but refused to run it.

Following the meeting, Jeff Yates, editor of The Bulletin, denied those allegations.

“The Bulletin did not receive or refuse to run any commentary from students prior to the controversy being made public,” he said. “The Bulletin began reaching out to students in the play through e-mail and phone calls on March 13, the day Mr. Canty made his announcement to the class, but did not hear back from them, and was only able to reach the first students in the play by cell phone on Tuesday, March 27.”

Susan Graybill, a teacher at Middlebrook School, spoke in support of the schools.

“I think our high school does a fine job” in talking about controversial issues. She said she wished students talked more with Mr. Canty before talking with the press.

Emma Lisa Lesica asked the school board to do something about the conflict.

“I want to say listening ... I would rather look at tonight as the door opening,” she said, adding to the board members not to let the door of communications close.

Ms. Birck — school board chair — did not respond to whether or not the Board of Education will comment on “Voices in Conflict.”

Schools

Following the public comment session, the majority of the audience left the meeting. When it came time for the superintendent’s report, Dr. Gary Richards spoke about “Voices in Conflict.”

“In recent days, some have called for the board to intervene and rescind Mr. Canty’s decision, to conduct investigations, and even review his performance,” Dr. Richards read from a statement. The statement may be found in its entirety at wiltonbulletin.com.

“Boards of Education act through the superintendent of schools. State statute provides that the superintendent has ‘executive authority over the school system and the responsibility for its supervision,’ ” he said. “Courts, not local boards of education, interpret the Constitution.”

He said at WHS, faculty members are working with Bonnie Dickinson to revise the script.

“When the project is completed, a review committee led by Deborah Low, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, will be appointed to determine that the project meets curriculum standards and can be performed in a context that provides appropriate background and support. The review committee will consist of administrators and faculty from subject areas related to this project, including Mrs. Dickinson,” Dr. Richards said.

A letter from the schools’ attorney to Ms. Dickinson’s attorney appears on The Bulletin’s Web site wiltonbulletin.com.

© Copyright 2007 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers