Gilroy High School should be all about raising the bar for our
community’s students, but instead it’s competing with Janet Jackson
in the raunch factor category.
Gilroy High School should be all about raising the bar for our community’s students, but instead it’s competing with Janet Jackson in the raunch factor category.
It’s almost unbelievable what went on in Curt Meeker’s drama class Friday. In a series of freestyle skits witnessed by Reporter Peter Crowley and students visiting from other classrooms, numerous scenes were rife with raunchy sexual references. Examples aboudn. One skit featured students, acting as a married couple, with the wife asking the husband why he didn’t want to have sex with her. Another featured two girls getting ready for dinner with two guys. One girl, not excited about her date but feeling pressured from her friend, asks, “Does that mean I should go down on him under the table?”
There’s plenty more, but let’s get to the point: What is teacher Curt Meeker teaching when he allows high schools students virtual free rein? What are his fellow teachers thinking when they send their students to the skits – that they have an easy hour off? Where are the administrators who should be dropping in on such student performances as a matter of course.
It’s this kind of unfathomable incident which stains the reputation of Gilroy High School in the community and gives credence to those who question the commitment to academic improvement and the ability of those in leadership positions there to make sound judgments.
And it’s too bad because the improvements at GHS – like the huge drop in the number of students who show up late to class – can get lost when parents get a sense that anything goes – as long as its not related to academic rigor.
Parents for the most part aren’t Puritans. A sexual theme or reference in the context of a disciplined drama performance would not draw such attention or ire. But skits that sink to the level of shock value and poor taste only serve to degrade the atmosphere at the school.
Principal Bob Bravo should send a loud and clear message to his staff outlining what’s appropriate and what isn’t and making it clear that if a teacher has a question about what is and what isn’t appropriate, they should consult with him before proceeding. Beyond that, it’s his ship to steer.
There are plenty of things to be proud of at Gilroy High School – fantastic choirs, an undefeated soccer team, a fledgling honors program and falling dropout statistics.
In some fashion, the raunchy skits Friday weigh on all those accomplishments. Let’s lift the bar and keep it up where it belongs.
