By the time you read this, I will have already registered my
daughter for Gilroy High School.
By the time you read this, I will have already registered my daughter for Gilroy High School. Two years ago, enrolling her there was almost unthinkable. I was gearing up to send her to one of the many good Catholic high schools north of Gilroy, and wondering how we would manage it financially. I had come to the conclusion that Gilroy High School would not be able to offer my daughter a top-notch high school education. But something happened at Gilroy High while we were busy making other plans.
The result is that there are many families who are doing what we are now doing – taking a leap of faith. It’s true that some families are choosing Gilroy High out of necessity; they simply can’t afford to send their children to private school.
For many people, the concept of a small charter school is appealing, but El Portal is still on shaky ground. Some families who were gainfully employed two years ago may be unemployed or underemployed today, and Gilroy High became the default school. Then there are the families like mine that find themselves choosing Gilroy High even when private options are available.
A year ago, fully one third of the highest achievers at Brownell Middle School were opting to go to private high school. I am sure that there were similar numbers from South Valley who went the private route, too. The numbers at Brownell are significantly lower this year. Sure, there are families that will choose private high school for a myriad of reasons. But many families took a first or second look at Gilroy High this year, and chose to stay on their home turf.
Our family’s decision really was our daughter’s decision. Ultimately, she is the one who will have to make her high school experience all that it can be. She liked some of the private schools she looked at, she went to the open houses, and shadowed a couple of students. She was never thrilled with the prospect of having to wear a uniform, but tried to keep an open mind.
At the end of the day, she decided that she wanted to be close to home, home before dinner, near her friends, and part of the Mustang community.
Her decision was made easier by attending the Gilroy High School information night. She saw a large group of dedicated students, teachers, and parents who were enthusiastic supporters of Gilroy High. She heard a principal who was welcoming to all the students.
A month later, she spent a day at Gilroy High following a student who has many similar interests. She “shadowed” a fellow flute player who is taking French as her foreign language. She thought most of the teachers were very good at engaging the students. She came away that day with her mind made up; all that was left was to convince her parents.
A year ago, the Alliance for Academic Excellence was working diligently to get honors courses reinstated at Gilroy High. This group, and hundreds of supporters, realized that the brain drain which was leaving Gilroy was having a severe impact on Gilroy High School, the flagship of our school district. It could have gone another way, but public sentiment was with the Alliance.
In the end, the events of last summer were a turning point for the Gilroy Unified School District. The honors pilot was a success, as was widely predicted. The only flaw was in the limited implementation of the program. The recent decision by the Gilroy School Board to expand honors classes for all students who are willing to take on a challenge has resulted in an increasing number of families who are choosing to stay local.
I am hoping that I will have a relaxing summer, because next year my three children will be enrolled at Rucker, Brownell and Gilroy High. The first day of school will be an interesting one indeed, and my husband will need to be at one of those schools on that day, while I shuttle between the remaining two. Having spent the past few years on various school committees, I fully intend to be an active parent at all three schools.
I know what to do for the younger kids, but I am out of my element on the high school campus. Being involved in a parent group at the high school is unchartered territory for me, but I am willing to do whatever is needed. Is it too early to sign up for Grad Nite for 2007?
