A local Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) chapter in Charlotte County recently held their “see you at the pole” event at the Randolph-Henry High School flagpole before school hours.

The purpose of the event was to promote prayer and togetherness within the community.

“The (FCA) is a student- led organization where students come together to strengthen their relationship with God. The students organized a morning of prayer where students, faculty and some community members joined together to pray for our nation, county and school system,” said FCA Chapter Sponsor Joshua Barmoy previously.

He also said the organization has no affiliation with Randolph- Henry High School, the Charlotte County School System or Charlotte County.

I would like to commend those who took the time and made the sacrifice to wake up before school hours and facilitate this event.

While there has been some debate at the national level about the place of prayer in public schools, according to the United States Department of Education, “students may organize prayer groups, religious clubs and “see you at the pole” gatherings before school to the same extent that students are permitted to organize other non-curricular student activities groups.”

In addition, these groups must be given the same access to school facilities for assembling as other non-curricular groups, according to the United States Department of Education.

Regardless of religious affiliation, I believe this student-led event is teaching an important concept; to stand for whatever you believe in.

High school can be a time of growth and often triumph for many individuals, but choosing to stand out in a positive way can make all the difference and just might inspire those around you.

“The reason why I led in prayer at see you at the pole is because most teenagers don’t really like to pray in front of a bunch of people and I just wanted to stand out and let other teenagers know … it doesn’t have to require (you) … to be like an adult to pray or a little kid to pray …,” said Randolph-Henry High School Sophomore Noah Walker.

He said anyone can pray.

Walker said the significance of the event to him means people can come together to talk about Christ, while having a wonderful time and seeing each other in the morning.

Additionally, Randolph Henry Junior Winfield Layne said he attended the event because it means a lot to him that the community does well, the students have a great school year and get closer to Christ.

Like Layne, Walker and all the other students/community members who attended the event, be a positive driving force in your community.

Italia Gregory is community editor of The Gazette. Her email address is Italia.Gregory@ TheCharlotteGazette. com.