Library hosts free citizenship class for the public
Calhoun High School history teacher partners with the public library to teach locals about the necessary steps toward U.S. citizenship.
On Thursdays, the public library in downtown Calhoun reserves one of their instructional rooms for interested locals to come and learn more about the process of becoming a U.S. citizen.
In December, three students — each already in possession of a green card — attended the free class and brought practice citizenship tests, working together with each other and library assistants to memorize answers. And this past Thursday, two different students came prepared to be quizzed by the instructor.
An AP U.S. History and AP Government teacher for Calhoun High School, Sean McKenzie was named the 20162017 Teacher of the Year for the Calhoun City school system. And even though McKenzie already teaches fulltime, one of his side projects is helping others learn about becoming U.S. citizens and the associated test.
On Thursday, McKenzie was in the library asking the two in attendance questions regarding current Georgia politicians, the significance of the Declaration of Independence and historical dates in American history.
“He’s excellent. I had two questions I just couldn’t memorize and he broke it down for me and helped explain them to me,” said a regular of the class, Wendy Stimers. “He really helps a lot.”
Wendy Stimers attends the class with her husband, Warren Stimers, both who are natives of Canada but
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who have lived in the United States for close to 30 years.
The Stimers moved to Michigan years ago because of Warren’s job, eventually finding their way down to Calhoun. And up until recently, they haven’t wanted to go through the process to become citizens, as they’ve had history in what they refer to as an extensive process — and the couple’s first attempt was back when it was much cheaper to apply.
But after recently reconsidering, the Stimers want to try again.
“When we first moved to Michigan, I could vote for anything except the president,” Warren Stimers said. “Now some things did change, but I could still be a part of the city and everything else.”
“When we moved here it was a bit of a slap in the face that we couldn’t vote for anything unless you’re a true citizen of the state,” he said.
For the Stimers, who have lived in Calhoun for just over 12 years, Georgia is their home, and they’re back into the process of obtaining official national citizenship. But why now?
“I like Donald Trump and I know he says things he shouldn’t but I feel he’s done a lot for us,” Wendy Stimer said. “I want to make sure I can give my vote and it’s important to me. You can’t complain if you don’t vote, so that’s my biggest thing.”
And Warren Stimer feels similarly, wanting to be able to participate in local government and let his voice count for something.
Another student who attends the class is Janet Arroyo, a native of Mexico who has lived in Calhoun for seven years with her children.
“I want to become a citizen so my kids can automatically become citizens,” Arroyo said. “And to help my parents, who are still in Mexico.”
Though Arroyo hasn’t applied to take the test yet, she wants to see what she can learn and how fast before deciding when to take it.
For many of these green card holders, becoming a citizen is about more than just official status, but it signifies being able to better participate in the local community.
On Thursday, McKenzie helped students prep for the test, creatively explaining the three branches of government, important geographical landmarks within the U.S. and the rights protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution. The topics of each class depend on the students in attendance and what they need to work on.
The free class is hosted on Thursdays from 4:45-5:45 p.m. at the Calhoun-Gordon County Public Library, 100 N. Park Ave., and is open to the public and anyone who is interested in learning more about the citizenship process.