It is mind-boggling to me that such an ignorant and factually flawed article was composed by a student of such an academically prestigious university

as NYU. There are so many parts of this article that are so very wrong that it is hard to decide where to begin my refutation. The "local private school," Parrott Academy, is undeniably the best choice for someone looking to send their children to the strongest academic institution in the region. Because Parrott is the best school in the realm of academics (which, by the way, is what schools are for, not cultural sensitivity training thats for church and family), by nature, the other schools in Kinston would be considered a worse (meaning inferior) choice in comparison. When the author states he attends one of the "highest globally ranked universities," he is implying that the others ranked below his are "inferior." That is not saying that they don't provide a good education. It's simply saying that, in life, everything isn't equal. There are better choices, and there are worse choices, and we all must make those choices in life. Parrott has testing scores, faculty ratings, and college acceptance rates that are exceptional not only for the city of Kinston but for the region. In a percentage comparison of the rate of college attendance after high school at Kinston High versus Parrott, Parrott's dwarfs that of Kinston High's. Not to mention that the students from each one of Parrott's graduating classes, with roughly 60 students, attend schools that easily rival NYU and rank nationally. Though there are many, the most disturbing part of this article was the "shot in the dark" statement. For someone who fancies himself as being passionate about diversity and open-mindedness, the author blatantly shows prejudice towards the restaurant conversation. He is claiming that the women stereotyped the school as a bad place to send your child simply due to the color of the majority of students skin. By stating this "shot in the dark" theory, he was implying that the table of women were a group of racist, white elitists when he had no reason to believe that to be true. This turns him into the victim of his own rant, and clearly makes him a hypocrite. Not only did he baselessly stereotype these women's values, but he almost assuredly was incorrect with his accusations. I love the city of Kinston. It is my hometown, and I owe all of my upbringing to it and every one of its citizens. That being said, our city needs a lot of improvement. With a crime index of 4,069, we well over DOUBLE the rate of crime in the average American city (1776.27). Because of this, the citys student population, who would all attend the same public schools (but for private schools), is significantly more dangerous. As a teenager who attended public schools in Kinston and had friends that graduated from them, it was patently obvious that gang violence, drugs, and other crime related deeds were a major issue in our town compared to the average in the U.S. Am I saying that these schools should not be attended? No, I am saying that safety and avoiding peer pressure brought by high crime rates is a major issue that needs be taken into account when choosing where your child goes to school. Ultimately, it is a parents judgment call as to how they weigh these objective factors in deciding where their child will attend school. Many find the statistics unsettling so, if able, they send their child to a school that may not only offer a higher quality education but also a safe and nurturing environment for them to be immersed in daily. It also should be asked why the author

thinks parents who don't want to send their children to a notoriously dangerous public school are racist. He gives no defense for this foolish assumption, and I am here to tell you first hand that he is wrong. I attended Parrott academy for 7 years of my life, and I will promise you that there was not a hint of racism on that campus in the students or adults. It was actually quite the opposite. At Parrott some of the most loved students and faculty were minorities. It was a very common occurrence for a minority, regardless of ethnicity, to win a class or SGA election, and it happened many times the short time I was in school there. Parrott fosters care for other cultures and races in their academic curriculum including multicultural trips and activities across the world or just down the street. They do this because they recognize how important respect and acceptance of all people is, and they don't take it lightly. Next time the guest author ought to consider keeping his shots in the dark to himself as he is in danger of marring his purported open-minded and culturally sensitive reputation. The author directs this article to "the parents destined to raise a mediocre child" which just does not make sense. This would mean that the graduates from Parrott Academy were generally "mediocre children," and everyone in the city knows that this is not true. I was fortunate enough to grow up knowing all kinds of wonderful people in Kinston, many of whom were educators, public servants, doctors, lawyers, engineers, bankers, business owners, and leaders of the city. These represent many of the brightest people in Kinston and many attended Parrott. They are the ones who pay for the majority of the public school system (that they often don't use) with ridiculous tax rates. I have also witnessed their caring toward the city we love through prayer walks, and community service and improvement efforts, and when it comes to where they choose to send their children to school, THEY often choose Parrott Academy. Of all the parents sending their children to school in Lenoir County, the ones who send their children to Parrott Academy know that they are not raising mediocre children but rather raising the next generation of leaders and innovators that will make our world and our town a better place. The Free Press and the guest author owe not only the people associated with Arendell Parrott Academy an apology but also their readers who were misled by a baseless and insulting article. Composed by Joshua Spear, student of the Honors College at Baylor University.