An Un-Answered Request

School Board: Call, ring, no answer, leave voicemail, hang up and repeat.

High School: Call, ring, secretary, message taken, hang up and repeat the day. 

    A process that happened every 2 to 3 days for about a week a month before I was able to get through to any one. Voicemail box recordings and guarantees that Principals would receive left messages when they returned from meetings were the usual. 

    A High School football reporting project on Dr. Bennet Omalu's recommendation that high school student's shouldn't be playing football due to irreversible damage on an underdeveloped brain is where this journey began. 

    All that's needed are 2 interviews, one from a principal at a public Ohio High School and another from that districts School Board President on the recommendation, paired with all the football paperwork that must be signed before a student can step foot onto the field...But not one call was returned and getting an email address to send a public records request was like finding a needle in a hay stack. 

    

    Frustrating is not the word to describe the emotions that come to mind when simply trying to find a person to speak to about one of the most talented, talked about and well known public high school football teams in Cleveland, Ohio. 

Glenville High School Football team at Collinwood Athletic Complex in Cleveland. (Lonnie Timmons III. Plain Deaer)

     Glenville High School's list of notable alumni span from writers and actor like Steve Harvey and Jerry Seigel to their vast amount of National Football League (NFL) alumni such as Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith and Donte Whitner. With it's large number of NFL alumni alone it comes as no surprise that the Glenville Tarblooder's Football team is one of this school's shining jewels. The team has been coach by the same man, Cleveland notable Ted Ginn Sr., since 1997 who's dedication to the teams betterment made way for them to be the first Cleveland Public High School to advance to the State Final in OHSAA Playoff history in 2009.   

     Currently 5-3 in conference play, the team recently said goodbye to 18 of it's graduating senior players who participated in National Signing Day, where letters of intent to play at the Collegiate Level were signed as parents, teachers, friends and media alike watched and cheered. Who wouldn't want to talk about that?

    The reality is this particular neighborhood in Cleveland isn't one of the best. Many parts of it are riddled with poverty, crime and drugs. Not the type of place anybody really wants to live, much less raise a family, but people make due with what they have. Often times the only way out that these young men see is through sports and with a program as well known for giving players a way out and new out look, it's no surprise that the community, school and players would be protective of anything threatening to tale that away...but that doesn't mean the dangers shouldn't be addressed or considered. 

    While the previous argument may be valid that doesn't negate that the school had given no correspondence after a little over a month other than a pleasant secretary, Ms. Watkins, who had taken the multiple messages and promised co-prinicipal Dr. Samuel Scavella would receive them.

    At the beginning of week 5 I got the run around at the school boards office and after being transferred to 3 different departments I was finally able to speak to the school boards secretary, Ms. Karlea Steele, who explained that she had been out sick for a few days and had planned on returning the calls left in her voicemail box as soon as possible. She went on to say that the School Board President didn't give out her personal email, but offered to forward my email's to Ms. Denise Link, the current Cleveland Metropolitan School District President...From whom I've still received nothing.

    Glenville High however redeemed themselves by having Ms. Jacqueline Belle, co-principal with Dr. Scavella, return my calls Friday, October 14th 2016 at around 7pm. She stated due to her position over the athletic functions at the school she had been asked to return my call. She agreed to do an interview the evening of October 18th 2016 depending on her test results from the doctor, since she hadn't been feeling well and was scheduled for an appointment.

   Whether either interview with Ms.Bell or Ms. Link will happen is still up in the air. Does the school agree with allowing students to play football despite the proven irreversible imminent dangers? Does the School board principal have anything say at all? I'm still unaware. Until definite "No's" or refusal's to speak can be obtained in writing or on tape...

Call, ring, leave message, hang up and repeat. 

What I've Learned:

     My name is Savanna R McCarthy and thus far I've learned that reporting is a much more complex skill than people, even those in journalism fields, give it credit for. It requires not only tenacity but an ability to take rejection and not give up. It's about asking the questions everyone else is afraid to ask because it may offend someone. Most important it's about knowing how to ask the right questions, and that can only be done after preliminary research has been completed. This skill not only teaches you how to tell a compelling story, but how to settle for whatever someone gives you, how to get the information you want and the answers you need no matter how adversity you face. 

     This project in particular has shown me not only the disorganization of many organizations put in place for lower level student's education in some public school systems, but how necessary resourcefulness is in this field of study. The likelihood of a reporter getting the run around is high, especially if they are asking the questions no one wants to answer, but a large amount of their frustration can be avoided if they are persistent, well connected and willing to work until the entire story is told truthfully.

     The truth is Karl Idsvoog's classes scared me when I first walked in the door, but I now thank his...interesting way of getting his points across...because they teach lessons you can apply to life as well as this class; and as I'm sure we can all agree they aren't lessons that are easily forgotten.