There is plenty being written on these pages about what ails the
school district. The GUSD foibles provide a limitless supply of
column fodder. So to mix things up a little, today I will write
about some of the good things going on in our schools.
There is plenty being written on these pages about what ails the school district. The GUSD foibles provide a limitless supply of column fodder. So to mix things up a little, today I will write about some of the good things going on in our schools.
Two of our schools, Luigi Aprea and Antonio del Buono, have been nominated to be potential California Distinguished Schools. It is a real accomplishment to meet the criteria for consideration as a distinguished school. Congratulations to the staff and students at these two schools for all the hard work they have done.
Brownell Academy is currently under sanctions by the state for not improving their scores on standardized tests for the past two years. At the last school leadership meeting, the West Ed consultants were gushing over the changes which Brownell is undertaking to reverse the trend. These changes were taking place before the state stepped in, but the mood at Brownell is much better this year. Brownell is a happier place to be, and the staff and students there are off to a great year.
The Middle School Enrichment Committee has been working for six months on putting forth some after school and weekend academic enrichment for middle school students.
There are three new courses slated to begin this fall; Aviation Challenge, Animation and Web Design. A future course in Veterinary Science is being planned as well. A long-awaited middle school theater arts production is also slated to begin shortly. Sometimes the work of those task forces actually produces results.
GUSD will be implementing a program to honor classroom teachers who have made significant progress in their classroom. This recognition is long overdue. It also gives teachers at all our schools the opportunity to be recognized for the good work they do.
While it might be discouraging to teach at a school that doesn’t qualify to be a distinguished school, all of our schools have some distinguished teachers. I am guessing that all of our schools will have a teacher or two who deserves to be recognized.
A couple of weeks ago, I complained about the lack of information about going to college on the GUSD Gilroy High page. Within a week, Rob van Herk had upgraded the site to include links for college information that is useful to all students at the high school. He didn’t delete the old links; he just rounded out the page so that any student or parent could get some good information.
While all of our students are not physically fit, many of them are.
Two weeks ago, all three of our middle schools participated in the Fun Run at Christmas Hill Park. It was so nice to see the students from Solarsano running with their friends from South Valley and Brownell. Last Wednesday, Brownell Academy took first place in the Cross Country Championship held at Alum Rock Park. South Valley Middle School came in a close second in the county meet. More than 100 Gilroy students ran their hearts out. More Gilroy students won ribbons and trophies than students from any of the other 24 schools.
Once Solarsano has a full middle school program, I expect Gilroy schools to sweep the competition from the north. It had pained me to read that there was no girls cross country team at Gilroy High School due to lack of interest. After watching some of the Gilroy girls from South Valley and Brownell last week, I am certain that girls cross country has a bright future at Gilroy High.
My son ended his cross country season last Wednesday. On Thursday, he announced that he was signing up for wrestling. And this brought about my biggest laugh of the week. I went to a sporting goods store to buy him some gear. A woman approached me and asked if I needed some help. I told her I was looking for wrestling shoes. Without skipping a beat, she asked me “What size are you?” After recovering, I informed her that the shoes were for my 11-year-old son. Truthfully, the last time I wrestled was with a guy I dated briefly in college.
There are many more great things happening in our local schools. I fully intend to keep pushing and prodding for improving our academic program. I realize that fighting to improve the public school system is often a battle. Today, I salute the little victories.
