Ohio Governor John Kasich Speaks at Stuyvesant

Governor of Ohio John Kasich came to Stuyvesant to participate in a town-hall style forum on Tuesday, March 13. The event was hosted in the theater during fourth period and moderated by social studies teacher Matthew Polazzo.

Kasich has a long and established career in politics. He served in the House of Representatives for nine terms, and sought the Republican nomination in the 2000 and 2016 presidential elections. Kasich was invited to Stuyvesant by freshman Hugo Smith, who volunteered for his campaign in 2016. “I [wanted] NYC students to hear from a variety of viewpoints [such as his],” Smith said.

“I initially thought that [Kasich] wanted to stand at the podium but [his] staff told me that he doesn't like [the] formality at all, and wanted a more moderated discussion,” Polazzo said. He began the event with a few opening questions, and then students were then allowed to directly ask the governor questions.

One prominent issue repeatedly brought up was that of gun violence and restrictions. Kasich expressed that while he is a supporter of the second amendment, he also believes that semi-automatic rifles are indeed dangerous and need to be regulated.

Additionally, Kasich voiced his support for the #Enough National Walkout movement, encouraging students to attend the following day and voice their opinions on gun laws. “I was pleasantly surprised when he endorsed the walkout. That's a pretty bold stance for any GOP politician to take, but he still did it,” Freshman Caucus Vice President Jonathan Schneiderman said.

Kasich also talked about the importance of and need for positive virtues, particularly love. “You are just a new generation but values are so important, and when you have them you can’t miss,” he said. “It’s about love. Love is about being connected, compassion, mercy, forgiveness. These values will set us up in life to lead a really good life.”

Principal Eric Contreras was particularly fond of the open question and answer forum. “I credit any elected official that would engage in an unvetted and unscripted conversation with teanagers,” he said. “[Whether you] agree or disagree with political viewpoints, I think it's about how we can learn about [the] government and politics [...] that go beyond what’s on a textbook.”

Polazzo similarly expressed satisfaction with the event. “To me, it was pretty neat. I teach government and I'm always interested in what's going on with currents events and here's the guys who weren't toe to toe with Donald Trump,” he said.

Student opinions of Kasich are varied—on one hand, many found his advice and thoughts inspiring. “By hearing from him, the government seems less like a distant body, but like a group of people that are willing to listen and discuss,” Freshman Caucus President Katarina Corr said.

Others, however, have criticized Kasich for his lack of both clear answers and knowledge of Stuyvesant’s culture. “The governor didn’t seem to know too much about the school and our community, and certain comments didn’t resonate to the crowd he was addressing. More direct answers and less tangents would have been definitely been nice,” Sophomore Caucus President Vishwaa Sofat said.

Despite the student body’s split on Kasich’s views, many are glad that he took the time to come and speak at Stuyvesant. "[Our] students tend to be leftist and not exposed to people of the opposite side. I think that the best thing about it was to meet somebody who was Republican who shared many of their concerns,” Polazzo said.