Faculty, Staff, Students & PTA

Hamlin Middle School

Home of the Mighty REBELS

Date: 10/13/2017

Sub: Letter of Grievance Regarding Hamlin Middle School

To:
The Principal of Hamlin MS
CCISD Superintendent
CCISD School Board

Respected Sirs and Madams,

On behalf of the Teachers, Staff, PTA and Student body, I am writing to express
our concerns about the changes currently taking place at Hamlin Middle School. On the
morning of Thursday September 28th, 2017 the Staff and Students were greeted by
CCISD employees taking down every item around their campus having either the
REBEL logo or name. There was no warning, no meeting with teachers or parents, and
especially no correspondence with the student body on upcoming changes. Not only was
every item on campus being taken down but the School spirit and sense of pride in their
school was being thrown away. In a matter of days, the REBEL spirit and pride was
looked down on and essentially banned. All student, faculty, and staff were not allowed
to wear their spirit shirts, or even say the word REBEL on school premises without fear
of alienation from new administration and or other consequences.
Carl O. Hamlin Middle School has, since 1954, been a small tightknit
community. Within the past five years the school spirit has risen and the young men
and women were excited to be involved in extracurricular activities, sports, and clubs.
The Faculty were proud to be REBEL role models and did everything in their power to
help each and every student become the best doer, thinker, and good citizen they
could be. There was comradery within the Faculty, Staff, and Administration. With that
positive environment the students were thriving! In the 2013-2014 school year there
were only 80 students, young men and women, who were involved in any sport on
campus. With help from the REBEL Faculty, Staff, and PTA the levels of excitement,
encouragement, school spirit, and PRIDE rose to new heights and in the 2016-2017
school year there were over 180 students involved in sports and even more in other
activities on campus. As more and more students became interested in being involved in
their REBEL community their grades and interaction in the classrooms improved.
Fast forward to September 28th, 2017. The Rebel community was greeted with
negativity and unwelcoming attitudes, and that was just from the new Administration.
Not to mention being thrown into the middle of a controversy that no one knew existed.
The only response from Hamlin Administration is our only concern is the education
and well-being of our students. However, if those are the only concerns then they
should understand that the removal of any sense of pride and spirit, the negativity and
various changes going on in the school, such as allotted bathroom times, restrictions on
teachers duties, dress codes, etc. all affect how students learn and interact in classrooms
and on campus. Teachers and Students are upset, confused, and hurt by the actions and
attitudes towards their school spirit and pride. There is a large population of our student
body that live in single parent households, with grandparents, aunts or uncles. There are
a few homeless students as well. Hamlin Middle School was their stable environment.
Somewhere they could go for advice, encouragement, support, and whatever else they
needed. There was a parent liaison on campus who helped gather volunteers, clothing,
school supplies, and put on events to help keep the students, especially those in need of
guidance and support, active in school and hopeful for the future. Now that is gone. To
some tearing down banners, posters, and gate signs may be insignificant. But to those
students who raised money to purchase the gate sign, who stayed after school to help
make spirit posters, PTA who worked hard to get new welcoming banners so students
and their families felt comfortable and welcomed as they entered the halls, It IS NOT.
This letter is not just to ask for the parties addressed to keep the REBEL mascot
and pride alive, but to challenge them. Challenge them to help the community heal and
repair the damage that these outrageous actions and events have caused. Because school
spirit is about recognizing the diversity we have at HAMLIN MIDDLE SCHOOL and
celebrating it. Past, Present, and Future REBELS know how incredible the school is and
others will not understand until they walk those wonderful blue and white halls.
We think we share your views when we say that recent incidents, and actions
harm the reputation of the Corpus Christi Independent School District. We, the Hamlin
Faculty, Staff, PTA, and Student body, therefore hereby request you to look into these
matters and see that school spirit, welcoming attitudes from administration and
retaliation against long time teachers, on the school campus are corrected and
improved.
We thank you for your invaluable time.
Sincerely yours,
Group of over 650 Concerned
Parents, Past/Present Students, Teachers, Staff, and Community Members