“I will meet you by the globe.”

Every student of the past five decades is no doubt familiar with using the globe structure, standing just south of the high school entrance, as a meeting place. While the rest of CHS is nearly unrecognizable to the alumni from 50 years ago, the globe has remained a Clayton High School icon. This could soon change. Last year, the CHS PTO proposed to build a plaza across from the CHS entrance. This plaza was to be solely funded by donations from members of the community.

The project, to be located across from the CHS entrance inside Mark Twain Circle, will, according to PTO member Cindy Rappanotti, “unify the front of the school, and provide a meeting area for students, visitors, and people of the community.” A major part of this project includes moving the globe across the street to its new spot in the Mark Twain Circle.

In searching for donations to fund the project, the PTO approached Centene, a growing Fortune 500 Company based out of Clayton. They offered to give the $63,000 necessary to complete the plaza as designed.

In return, Centene negotiated to have the corporation’s name be placed in prominent letters at the base of the globe. However, the alumni, faculty and most importantly, we, the students, had no input in this process of selling the naming rights to a school landmark.

Public schools across the country are calling on corporations for sponsorship, selling off naming rights as an expedient way to raise money. Though it can provide big money quickly, corporations do not belong in any public school.School is a place where kids should be safe to learn and to be protected from consumerism, probably for the only time in their lives.

However, for many of these public schools that offer naming rights to corporations, the money is absolutely necessary. If the school does not provide a safe environment for the students and the money could help ensure a safer setting, then the ill-fitting corporation names can be overlooked. Or in the case that the sponsorship money allows for serious opportunity to better the school’s academics, the sponsorships are an appropriate way to solve the problem.

Luckily, Clayton is in neither of these situations where extra funding is absolutely necessary. The globe does not seem in danger of rolling off its stand, nor is it inhibiting student learning. In addition, since the entire donation is being used to aesthetically improve the entrance to the school, it would be hard to argue that this donation, in any way, will better our academics. Therefore, there is no reason to sacrifice our school name for this project.

Yet, it is important to recognize that the Centene Corporation is not the bad guy here: the PTO asked them for the donation. We should instead look to the PTO and School Board and ask how could we let a corporation’s name be planted on a school landmark without input from the alumni, faculty and students?

The irony in the situation is when one considers the original goal of the project: to celebrate the longevity by commemorating the centennial of Clayton High School. We should have taken pride in this purpose and respected the history of Clayton High School before deciding to plant “Centene” on the sculpture.

The plaza should have been named after a Clayton individual, who helped shape the school over the last century, whether it be a revered principal, superintendant or some other figure. The globe will still be there, but in a few years time, will the globe itself no longer be considered a school landmark?

Will students instead associate the iconic structure with the Centene sign lining the bottom? What will passersby think when they gaze at the corporation spanning the globe stand?

Selling off naming rights should be something left for sports arenas, not public high schools. We have lost the opportunity to recognize our history, an opportunity that we will never be able to recover.

Some time down the road, a similar situation will occur. We need to act now to ensure that our commons, library and quad are not placed on the table due to a simple lack of fundraising. Student, alumni and faculty opinion on such issues need to be valued and a system of communication between the School Board, PTO and student body implemented when these questions arise.

To see the article concerning the Centene Centennial Plaza, click here.