Damascus supervisor-for-a-day

Students witness a heated discussion on gas drilling

By TOM KANE

DAMASCUS, PA — Four Damascus Area Elementary/Middle School eighth graders successfully survived a stormy township meeting on residents’ reaction to the appearance of “thumper trucks” along the roads in the township.

The four students spent the day “shadowing” a supervisor, learning how township business is conducted and participated in the township board meeting in the evening.

The four students were Gabby Schott, who acted as the chairman of the board and ran the meeting, along with students Ben Rutledge, Heather Ritter and Brandon Enslin.

Schott had the help of board chairman Jeff Dexter, who sat beside her and prompted every move she made. “She performed beautifully,” Dexter said.

“This program is an excellent way for students to see first hand how a municipality works and does business,” said Howard Schuchman, chairman of the township’s Zoning Hearing Board, who organizes the program every year with the faculty of the school, which just down the road from the township hall.

Schott made every motion, asked for a second to the motion and then called for a vote with a discussion, following the official agenda. In order to make the voting valid, the three supervisors voted along with the students.

What made the occasion an especially vivid learning experience was the heated discussion that followed a presentation by a representative of Newfield Exploration Company, who explained the “thumper trucks” and the seismic testing along township roads.

The students witnessed how a controversial issue can be debated heatedly in their community with both sides arguing with respect for the other.

“These students always get a great deal out of the program,” said Peter Casazza, eighth grade social studies teacher. “This time, they saw first hand the discussion among residents over gas drilling. We have been discussing drilling in class for a few days so this was a perfect opportunity for the four to return and talk about it to their fellow students. It was great.”