Montezuma-Cortez Middle School\u2019s Facebook page includes flyers and images you\u2019d expect to see \u2013 reminders to order yearbooks, a summer basketball skills camp, teachers rolling burritos for students the morning of standardized testing. The components of a school\u2019s community.<\/p>\n
But one in particular caught our attention. On April 19 and 20, a flyer on the school\u2019s Facebook page advertised an evening event with The Seven Project, sponsored by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, with \u201cfree food, fun, giveaways & faith.\u201d According to its website, The Seven Project \u201cpresents school assemblies that deal with real life and character issues\u201d with videos, pumping music and \u201cstrong calls to action.\u201d<\/p>\n
No problem. The school is allowed to share or lease its facility for reasonable uses after the school day. According to the district\u2019s facility use form, FCA rented the middle-school gym from 5 to 8 p.m. on April 20, along with an outdoor area for $150 plus a $250 damage deposit. The group requested field lights on.<\/p>\n
Later, we were concerned to learn that promoters with The Seven Project also held an assembly at M-CMS the day of the event during instructional time, then invited students to the \u201cafter-party.\u201d At the very least, the school must let parents know \u2013 loud and clear \u2013 The Seven Project group wanted to promote its event to their children during the school day. Parents could then decide what\u2019s best and appropriate for their families. M-CMS Principal Drew Pearson said the school \u201cnever communicates daily assemblies outside of typical announcements.\u201d In this case \u2013 and future ones \u2013 we feel it must.<\/p>\n
The Seven Project should have truly and completely said what it was about. It\u2019s a veiled Christian group with a comprehensive outreach strategy to reach public school students, and train leaders in effective evangelism and discipleship. Curiously, the organization doesn\u2019t mention Jesus Christ or his teachings on its website. The place where parents would look in making a decision on whether to allow their schoolchildren to attend.<\/p>\n
In the recording of the assembly, again, no mention of Christ. Loud and lively, the assembly had a bouncy DJ, club-style lighting and even a teacher dance contest. Much motivational speak about being resilient, how anything in one\u2019s life is possible and each of us can become champions. Other emphases included the importance of being \u201cteachable,\u201d \u201ccoachable\u201d and \u201ca hard worker.\u201d \u201cTaking action\u201d and being open to being \u201cstirred on the inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
Standing alone, the messages are positive. But in this time of much conversation about parental rights, we all deserve to know who exactly is whom. Especially when they want time with our children.<\/p>\n
The assembly had a pep-rally vibe. It would be nice if the school could create a high-energy, spirited experience around Panther Pride on its own. No outside interest or influence needed.<\/p>\n
Both FCA and LGBTQ+ students lost meeting spaces during lunchtime after the district determined this was instructional time. Groups had to then meet off-campus. Yet \u2013 however indirectly \u2013 the FCA made its way into the middle school on the afternoon of April 20, with this assembly.<\/p>\n
Rainbow Club kids haven\u2019t had this fortune. A Queer Ball for middle- and high-school students in February was kept under wraps for students\u2019 safety. Organizers planned the event behind closed doors, with Montezuma Youth Pride coordinating rides and discreetly distributing parental permission slips. Kids posed in a photo booth and played video games, while chaperones kept the pizza and juice coming. With 35 kids, the dance floor was lively much of the time.<\/p>\n
Thirty-five students is a good turnout and a sizable number for a group that would like to \u2013 safely \u2013 hang out together.<\/p>\n
Janet Hough of Cortez said: \u201cSome adults in our community are only concerned with saving our children\u2019s souls and not the whole child. Their actions show their true intentions: to usurp parents\u2019 rights, using public school spaces to convert their children to Christianity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hough said a few years ago, Pearson dress-coded her child for wearing a shirt that said, \u201cMake America Gay Again.\u201d Pearson said he did not remember this incident. But this shirt would likely fall into a category of clothing with sexual connotations, as did the shirts, \u201cI (heart) Hot Moms\u201d and \u201cVirginity Rocks.\u201d<\/p>\n
The day after The Seven Project event, the FCA posted on its Facebook page: \u201cWonderful time of fellowship and reaching Gen Z last night with the 7 Project! Door prizes were awesome with one student winning a brand new bike, testimonies from students and a powerful message. Approximately 40 students made life decisions. Thank you Lord for the privilege of touching students\u2019 lives with HOPE \u2665\ufe0f.\u201d<\/p>\n
So there it is, after the fact. Nothing wishy-washy or left to the imagination. Better, though, for the FCA and The Seven Project to be upfront with its intentions. Parents deserve to know.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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