Sample Essay Exam Question (90 points)
Central High School is a public high school in the city of St. Louis. Its principal is Victoria Johnson. Ninety-five percent of its students live below the poverty line, and the school is located in an area of the city with significant crime and violence.
One morning, in the fall of 2018, Central held a “Peace Summit” to bring together community leaders to talk about the challenges of crime and violence affecting Central. Principal Johnson required all students to attend the summit. The students were joined by several hundred members of the community.
Midway through the summit, one of the students, Mary Young, collapsed onto the floor in an apparent seizure. Dozens of students began shouting and crying. As emergency responders rushed to aid the student, Principal Johnson asked if there was a minister in attendance at the summit who could “say a few words.” Pastor Mark Smith responded to the call and prayed into the microphone: “Father God, creator and sustainer of life, please heal this student. As you have had mercy on us, have mercy on her now. May your calming presence calm us all. In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.” As Pastor Smith spoke, the students became very quiet. They remained quiet and orderly after he departed the stand.
As Mary was taken to the hospital, the summit continued. Following a robust discussion about crime and violence, the program concluded with a performance by the school choir of “Let There Be Peace on Earth.”[1] The choir included two atheist students, who were told in advance that they need not participate in the performance. Neither elected to opt out.
Principal Johnson was so pleased with the success of the Peace Summit that she declared the rest of the day to be “Central Day of Peace” and told students and staff that they could take the afternoon off from school. She was also deeply moved by Pastor Smith’s assistance during the summit. As a token of her appreciation, she sent Pastor Smith a $20 gift certificate to Wendy’s, which she paid for out of the Principal’s Motivational Fund.[2] Pastor Smith used the gift certificate to take three Central students to lunch with him. Over lunch, Pastor Smith shared his Christian beliefs with the students. One of the students, Little Bobby, who had never previously had anything to do with religion, was profoundly affected by the message. He started attending Pastor Smith’s church. Over the course of the next few years, Little Bobby’s grades rose significantly, and he graduated with honors.
A. Identify and analyze the issues from our course that you see raised in the above fact pattern. (60 points)
Suppose that the week following the Peace Summit, Principal Johnson received three additional requests for excused absences. Frank asked for a day off to attend prayer services for peace at his church (his pastor had asked all members to attend the daytime services). Brianna said that she had been “deeply moved” by the Peace Summit and asked for a day off to think about peace. Adam, an avid sports fan, had recently been given tickets to an afternoon home game of the St. Louis Cardinals and asked for a day off to attend the game. Upon learning of Frank’s and Brianna’s requests, Adam added that baseball was “like a religion” to him.
B. How should Principal Johnson answer the requests for time off? What issues or factors should she consider in reaching her decision? (30 points)
[1] The lyrics are as follows:
Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on earth
The peace that was meant to be.
With God as our father
Brothers all are we.
Let me walk with my brother
In perfect harmony.
Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now.
With every step I take
Let this be my solemn vow.
To take each moment
And live each moment
With peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth,
And let it begin with me.
[2] The Principal’s Motivational Fund is an annual appropriation of $500 that the St. Louis Public Schools District gives to each school principal to use in his or her discretion to “build community.”