"By Ron Paglia
FOR THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, November 5, 2006

Speaking at commencement exercises at the University of Michigan on May 22, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson challenged the graduates to "find new ways to stimulate the love of learning and the capacity for creation."

Today, more than 42 years after that signature address in Ann Arbor, those words, and others from Johnson's Great Society speech, ring loud and clear as a mandate for students at Bellmar Middle School in the Belle Vernon Area School District.

"President Johnson's concept for building a Great Society in our country is timeless," said Stephen V. Russell, principal at Bellmar. "They transcend the years; that is, his ideas for improving our way of life are just as strong today as they were those many years ago. And we, each and every one of us, should be responsible for embracing those ideals."

Russell and eighth-grade students Tyler Verin and Kelsey Zborovancik reflected on Johnson's initiatives at an assembly focusing on The Great Society as the theme for 2006-07 school year activities at Bellmar Middle School.

Zborovancik, relating to an essay, "What the Great Society Means to Me," spoke of how the ideals of the Great Society program became Johnson's agenda for Congress in January 1965. Key points included:

• Aid to education.

• Attack on disease.

• Medicare.

• Urban renewal.

• Beautification.

• Conservation.

• Development of depressed regions and an extensive fight against poverty.

• Control and prevention of crime and delinquency.

• Removal of barriers to the right to vote.

Vernin recalled previous school year themes at Bellmar such as "The Greatest Generation" and "The Golden Age of Hollywood" and how each "has enriched or enhanced the lives" of BMS students.

"One of our basic ideas is to make learning fun as well as educational," Russell said. "We try to give them things that will make them think and understand life better. This year's Great Society theme is in keeping with that goal."

Vernin and Zborovancik, both of whom play basketball at Bellmar, agreed that concept is working.

"The theme ideas go beyond the traditional classroom and textbook setting and complement our studies and curriculum," Verin said. "We receive an excellent education here and learning as we do with the Great Society theme makes it even more enjoyable."

Vernin is especially taken by the emphasis on LBJ. He continues to have an interest in politics as a career after completing his formal education and recently was elected parliamentarian of the Youth and Government program at Mon Valley YMCA.

Zborovancik also appreciates the themes that Russell institutes each year and the myriad historical displays that dominate the halls and walls of Bellmar Middle School.

"There's so much to be learned about history this way, not only in terms of our government but also about our culture," said Zborovancik, who aspires to become a pharmacist. "Many of President's Johnson's Great Society ideas have brought important changes to our country and into our lives. Those ideals are very important today and are inspiring to us."

In introducing the 2006-07 theme, Russell challenged Bellmar students to "embrace knowledge and learning and be the best student and the best person you can be." He accentuated his remarks with quotes from Johnson and emphasized that the late president called the Great Society "a place where every child can find knowledge to enrich his mind and enlarge his talents."

Russell lauded the Great Society goals as the "greatest outpouring of legislation in America's history."

"There were laws to end discrimination, fight poverty, provide medical care for the elderly, extend educational opportunities to the young, clean the air and water and reverse the pollution of decades, preserve precious land for public recreation , protect the natural beauty of the continent, bring art and music and theater to every corner of the nation, and protect the consumer in the marketplace," Russell told the Bellmar assembly. "Old injustices against the forgotten and the disadvantaged could be eliminated and the quality of life improved for all. This was the philosophy undergirding the Great Society."

In a letter to Marsha Sharp, education specialist at the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas, Russell said the Great Society approach was successful because many of its aspects, ideas and programs "are accepted today as part of the fabric of American Society."

"Our goal this school year is for our students to hear the beauty of President Johnson's remarks in speaking about the welfare of the American people," Russell told Sharp.

As an extension of the Great Society focus, a Bellmar Beautification Project Exploratory Syllabus also has been initiated. During this program, the courtyard at the school will be redesigned and replanted.

"One component of President Johnson's program was to beautify areas of the country and we will perpetuate that theme throughout Bellmar," Russell said.

He recalled that Lady Bird Johnson, President Johnson's wife, often spoke about the importance of a beautiful environment.

"She said, 'A little beauty, something that is lovely, can help create harmony which will lessen tensions,'" Russell said. "Throughout her time in the White House, she was committed to making America more beautiful by planting flowers and trees. Children in schools through the nation rallied behind her to clean up, fix up, paint up and plant up."

In addition to the speaking program, the Bellmar assembly also featured a montage of video footage on President Johnson and the Great Society proposals. A specially designed Bellmar Middle School Great Society campaign button, replete with a picture of President Johnson, was created by artist Lee Oliver Hewitt and produced exclusively for the school by the Edward Horn Co.

An exhibit of LBJ magazine covers and other Johnson-era memorabilia are displayed throughout Bellmar Middle School.

The Great Society theme at Bellmar perpetuates an admiration of and association with Johnson by Russell that began when LBJ became president Nov. 22, 1963, after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas.

Russell was only 17 and preparing to enter his senior year at Belle Vernon Area High School when he sent a letter to Johnson on July 5, 1966. In that letter, he explained his support of Johnson's ideals and said he would follow them as president of the Class of 1967 at BVA.

Juanita D. Roberts, personal secretary to the president, responded to Russell and said Johnson encouraged Russell to " ... acquire as much education as possible." LBJ also reminded Russell, "A thorough knowledge of history is invaluable, because by understanding the past you can better formulate plans for the present and future."

Those words continue to guide Russell and his efforts to enhance the educational process."

Reference:

Paglia , Ron.( 2006, November 5).  LBJ's 'Great Society' concept provides guidance at Bellmar. Retrieved on November 14, 2006 from http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/search/s_477840.html