Published: June 27, 2009 04:54 pm      

Goldsberry participates in forum at state Capitol, USAO

DUNCAN — Don’t underestimate Justin Goldsberry.

Goldsberry, who is going into his senior year at Empire High School, was one of a select few Oklahoma students chosen to participate in a children’s with disabilities forum at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. The trip also gave him a chance to go to the state Capitol in Oklahoma City, where he met Lt. Gov. Jari Askins.

“It was good,” he said. “We did a lot of activities.”

Goldsberry has a learning disability that causes him to take tests a bit slower than his peers. He attends mainstream classes at the high school. The only difference is, when he tests, he goes to another classroom.

Regardless, he has managed to maintain a 3.5 grade-point average throughout his high school career. He has also been involved in baseball, football and band at EHS. Goldsberry lettered in band.

The students were chosen for the forum after their individual education plan (IEP) teachers nominated them. Each youth had to fill out forms that asked questions about the students themselves, who they think they are and what they think others think about them.

Most of the students were from northern Oklahoma. Goldsberry said it was like he was representing southern Oklahoma.

He considers being chosen for the forum as one of the biggest successes in his life. The program got the students thinking about who they are and the way they feel other people think about them.

One activity the youths had to do was write on the inside of a box what they think about themselves and write what they think others think on the outside. Goldsberry wrote he felt underestimated by others.

Other activities included a competition among the participants, who built beds of balloons to see who had the strongest. Goldsberry said many of the balloons popped when the forum counselors tested the balloon beds.

They also attended a dance and had an etiquette dinner.

“We did a lot of activities at the college,” he said.

When the students were at the Capitol, they were taken to a debate room, where they debated a “bill.” The bill was about school districts not being able to deny transfers into their schools after a student from outside the district has been granted transfers into the district for three years.

“It was pretty neat,” Goldsberry said.

As much fun as he had during the week, he was able to learn quite a bit from the experience. He said he was taught that a true leader uses leadership and that no one can be judged by the way he or she looks.

The forum also gave him a goal.

After the week, each student was given several blue cards. When the students do something to help someone or participate in community service, they can have a card filled out.

If a student gets a certain number of cards returned, he has the opportunity to be selected as a counselor for the program. He said he wants to be a counselor next year and will work hard to do so.

“It was a pretty fun week,” Goldsberry said.