You probably haven’t heard of Greenwood, Arkansas. That’s pretty typical, if you ask anyone out of the state if they know, they would probably say something like “what’s that?” Which I personally think is amusing because the people in Greenwood treat it like a kingdom, how could it be possible that we are so tiny?

Greenwood Arkansas is round and very much has this infatuation with greek and roman architecture. It is a city of symmetry and high pillars. The school is like a Parthenon, our Performing Arts Center has high pillars, our Greenwood Freshmen Center was built with high pillars, Farmers Bank was built with high pillars, City Hall was also built with high pillars, and our school Arena as well. As I said before, we think of ourselves as an empire above all of our rivals flanking our borders, we build as if we are one as well. It would seem as though everyone thinks the same, nobody ever really has different ideas and different ideas are likely to be dismissed as radical. Academics and Athletics pretty much sum up our town. Take notice of how much of what I talk about revolves around Greenwood High School. The city is very involved in our district. Any issues inside campus are the same outside campus, it will always eventually find itself here. Greenwood is a conservative city, it is also very clean. It may be small, but if you’re looking for someone you probably will have a tough time finding them.

The question is, “If you were mayor of your town what would you do?” You see, that’s a fun question to think about. In my town, I probably would never be a mayor in reality. But hypothetically, I can only think of a few things I would do.

I would open up the people to different things so they wouldn’t be so quick to attack or shut out what they don’t understand. Greenwood already has a “no bullying” policy and I suppose we have good policing of the city but what authorities tend to do is simply smother the voices on each side. What I mean by that, is when two different opinions arise, that argument is not encouraged to come to any sort of conclusion. Rather, both voices are suppressed and the original plan is carried out. Varying opinions is not a favorite of our officials, and if I were mayor I would take steps towards getting people to learn more about the other side of the fence. If I were mayor, I would use my position to shape the school slightly better. Greenwood High School is all about the cliques and the hierarchy. I couldn’t just fix that, no, but I would level out what makes those divides in the first place.

Football is forced down peoples throats, Friday nights are widely celebrated. I would try to speak for other activities as well. Like Theater, or Choir, or maybe even band. People don’t know that Quizbowl has won several championships but everyone knows that Greenwood High School Football team goes undefeated every game we play.

If I were mayor, I would put in more crosswalks and crossing guards. A kid got hit by a car just a few years ago. Also, we have like one road that runs through town. I bet you can figure out what the traffic is like.
As mayor, I would open up more opportunities for students to succeed. Greenwood is an academically successful school. But I would open up more tutoring sessions for those who need it.

My town really isn’t that bad as some may say. I actually like it here, and I like how petty it can be and I love how everyone can come together to cheer on friday nights. If you want to fix a town, you have to be devoted to the good and bad of it. If I were mayor, I would be devoted to every issue. That’s what people need.