Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: Proving the cynics wrong

THE PUBLIC school system in the United States is still the best in the world.

If you don't believe me, ask the parents, students and friends who showed up Tuesday night for the formal dedication of the Irwin and Susan Molasky Middle School. They can tell you firsthand what the public school system is doing for the young people who experience the magic every school day. That's their name, you see, the Magic, and it is evident all around you when you visit this remarkable place.

It was clearly in evidence this week when friends of the Molaskys, two people who have made Las Vegas home longer than most people have been around, joined with the families, teachers and administrators of the junior high school to help a list of luminaries tell of the great and wonderful deeds that have been accomplished thus far by the school's namesakes. And I can tell you that as lengthy as that list is, it may only be the beginning if Irwin and Susan have their way. Already the school and its students are the envy of many of Clark County's junior highs because it boasts private-public partnerships, a dedicated staff and the willingness of its namesakes to get and stay involved with the learning opportunities for the students.

That's one of the great benefits of naming these schools after community leaders from all fields of endeavor. The pride felt in those schools and their students is overwhelming and practically forces those lucky enough to know the pleasure of such a naming to do all they can to advance the learning experience. Posthumous honors are fine and well-deserved. But picking people with the track record of the Molaskys and the many other fine people who have seen their names in academic lights is a sure-fire recipe for success. And after all, that's what we must be about if we are to maintain our public school systems and make sure we grow them into the best institutions in the world.

I realize that this kind of message may seem out of place in today's wacky world, just as were the many deserved accolades that were heaped upon the Molaskys by School Board Trustee Lois Tarkanian, longtime friend Ruth Goldfarb, Las Vegas Mayor Jan Laverty Jones and the very talented and articulate Monique Frey. Throw in the always well-polished and thoughtful message of Elaine Wynn and the evening couldn't have gone any better. But it did. It was much better.

It makes sense to me that it took the dedication of the Molasky School to bring out the very best in Clark County School Superintendent Brian Cram. Irwin has spent a lifetime building this community, so what better place for a message of optimism than the school that bears his name. And who better to deliver it than a man who has spent his entire life in the service of the public school system. That the message rang forth from a gymnasium full of children and parents made it all the more telling.

Brian Cram is retiring soon and it is clear to all who know him and the job he has done that it will be difficult to find a suitable replacement. But that will happen because Brian will do all he can to make sure the person who steps into his shoes will fit them fully and then some. And lest we were wondering what our retired superintendent will do, it is already written on the wind. For Dr. Cram's calling will be to use that great voice and that wonderful emotion he can most times control and tell the story of public education to all who will listen. And especially to those who will not.

When Brian looked out over the young faces of the singers, band members and students who packed the gym, he spoke directly to them, all the while not neglecting the real focus of his words -- the adults in that room. For in his message of hope and promise was a preacher-like quality that I have not often heard from him. But he was right and his words were appropriate for he spoke of the success of the public school system -- he is a perfect example coming, in one generation, from a father who worked as a custodian in the school district to the highest job available, that of superintendent. And he gave credit where it was due, to the teachers and administrators of our public schools.

What I liked most, though, was the way he praised the optimism of Clark County's residents who have voted for three successive and very large school construction bond issues while shortsighted citizens and politicians around the country have been doing their level best to bury the concept of public schools. Rhetoric is one thing but results, that's a very different animal. Dr. Cram did not miss the opportunity to tell the students and their parents exactly what he thought. How refreshing and how enjoyable that was.

There will always be cynics just because it is easier to be one of them than one of the many thousands of people in this community who want to do better with their lives and those of their children. It is more difficult to accept the challenges we are given and do our best to rise above them. Brian Cram and everyone on that dais that night have done the latter and succeeded as a result.

They were following the lead of two of our community's most optimistic citizens. The people whose name brings honor to the school district and whose school -- Irwin and Susan Molasky Middle -- brings honor back to them a hundredfold.

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