Letters to the Editor

May 29, 2009

Good students, good citizens

To the editor:

On May 21, I attended an awards program sponsored by the Washington County Association of Elementary School Administrators. Sitting on the stage of South Hagerstown High School were 76 of the finest and proudest fifth-grade students in the county.

They were being awarded the Principal's Citizenship Awards. The selection criteria is based on their demonstration of "1) Pride and respect toward students and adults; 2) Pride and respect toward school, its rules, and property; 3) Participation in class discussions and school activities; and 4) Maximum effort to do well academically."

I am proud of these young people for embodying the qualities that are so important to them and for their future - and they did what comes naturally. These students truly have shown the utmost in good sportsmanship and prove that it doesn't always have to be on the sports field.

I wonder why The Herald-Mail did not cover such a wonderful and important event. Congratulations to all of the students. Keep up the good work.

Sybil Schiffman
Hagerstown

Editor's note: A story listing the Principal's Citizenship Award winners appeared in The Herald-Mail on May 29. Click here for a link to the story.

Korea condemnation was appropriate

To the editor:

This is in reference to the editorial which appeared in Wednesday, May 22, regarding President Obama's response to missile launchings by North Korea. The author of that letter criticizes Obama's "knee-jerk response" to North Korea's nuclear weapons program and suggests that the United States accept such testing as North Korea's right to provide for its own protection.

Two important issues were not mentioned in that article. One, North Korea violated international law regarding the testing of such weapons. Two, the tests were conducted on the day Americans reserve for honoring its fallen military personnel. That North Korea would test weapons on Memorial Day is a slap in the face, a deliberate mocking of what is a sacred day to America.

The author would have our president play a game of appeasement as did Chamberlain and Deladier in the Munich Agreement.

Though I did not vote for Obama, I applaud his condemnation of this flagrant disregard for international law. The president's response was appropriate and represents the outrage many Americans felt about the timing and nature of weapons testing.

Steve F. Lemonakis
Smithsburg

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