I want to express how thrilled I was to see our council select Connor Groce as the alternate to the Zoning Board committee. To suggest that youth necessarily equals inexperience and therefore a “lack of wisdom” is an antiquated notion, at best, but to put it plainly, it is ageism. Everyone who knows Connor, which, let’s be real, is a lot of people in Clemmons, knows how well connected he is with this community. From the Friends of the Library to head coach of the Clemmons West swim team and everything in between. The beauty of his age is that he absolutely serves as a bridge between generations. I would trust him with both my children and my money and clearly, I am not alone. I cannot even list the sheer number of academic achievements he has reached, positions of leadership he has held, nor community service hours he has dedicated to Clemmons and beyond. But none of those things would even matter, because it only takes one time of meeting him to know his head and his heart have both a solid foundation and a clear vision. Paul Johnson, forgive me, I do not believe we have met, but shame on you. Shame. On. You. And everyone else like you who automatically looked at an age and labeled it a decision for “diversity” over qualification. Frankly, I find the element of diversity an unintentional but unbelievable asset to our community and look forward to a future where we have more students like Connor to choose from.

— Claire Wait