Dear Editor,
I wanted to thank Superintendent Diaz and the Gilroy Unified
School District for the opportunity to address the Board, and for
your vote to reconsider the decision on the Gilroy High School
spirit leader field trip.
Dear Editor,
I wanted to thank Superintendent Diaz and the Gilroy Unified School District for the opportunity to address the Board, and for your vote to reconsider the decision on the Gilroy High School spirit leader field trip.
The community has spoken loudly – and public opinion was definitely expressed on each side of the issue. You have read the emails, the Dispatch articles, the letters to the editor and spoken with people who have pressed the importance of taking another look. The people, who spoke to this issue tonight, myself included, had many positive things to say about the field trip and it’s long-term benefits for the participants. We needed you to see why we are passionate about this.
These girls give to their school – cheering at football games, basketball games and rallies. They participate in the homecoming festivities and are expected to be campus role models. They must maintain their academic eligibility or they get benched. They give to the community by performing many hours of community service. They act as representatives of the City of Gilroy and Gilroy High School at the Garlic Festival, and the money to pay for cheerleading camp is earned by working at the fireworks booth.
For all this and more, they get no financial support from the school for their uniforms. They must find their own rides to some of the sporting events they are required to cheer at, because they are not included in the transportation head count. The three-day field trip honor that they work so hard for each year is something they should not be denied.
Quality instructional time in the classroom is essential, but school is not just about your future career and getting that high-paying job after graduation – it’s a jumping off place for learning about yourself and the world.
I hope you will consider very carefully the message that you will be sending when the vote is taken on Oct. 11. I hope your message will let them know how very proud you are of their many accomplishments, and show them in no uncertain terms how very pleased you are that the City of Gilroy and Gilroy High School will have such exemplary representatives at the Pro Bowl.
Diane K. Stone, Gilroy
