Well put, Mr. Wilson!

This is exactly why the Boundary Committee was flawed from the start. Mr. Wilson is 100% biased to get more students to attend Monte Vista for HIS school's benefit. The BC should have been made up of non-GUHSD administrators for this reason. We are in 2012 not 1970. Families need to do what's best for their children and where they go to school is at the top of the list.

I won't deny that Mr. Wilson may be correct in saying some parents in Mt. Helix are racist, but he is wrong to imply that they all are. I don't want my child going to a low SES school. Its that simple. It could be low SES "brown" kids, or low SES "white" kids (and yes, they are in some of our schools). It's not about race for me, it's about poverty. You get one chance with your kids, and I'm not going to chance it by giving Monte Vista a chance. Why take a gamble with our children? We shouldn't have to ... you get it Mr. Wilson? It's our choice, but I guess you would prefer an administrator make the choice for us because they have the herds best interest in mind? Seriously ...

Other factors are at play. API scores are one, but Monte Vista's API scores are very competitive. I have friends with kids succeeding @ Monte Vista. It is their neighborhood school. Moving kids from schools they can walk to- requiring a freeway drive is unacceptable. GUHSD might attract more students to stay at their "Home" school, or choose less populated schools by understanding feeder districts, establishing relationships with them, and consider joint academic programs to draw students to less attended schools. 5-6 years ago there was leadership change in a feeder school to Monte Vista. It did not net positive results. Faculty moved. The school to put a teacher in charge of Spanish who didn't speak Spanish. After parents complained, the school's fix was a wheel section of Japanese. Parents were already shaky with the new leadership. This did not help. The same year students in a tech class had a teacher with no apparent planned curriculum. Around then a science and technology charter school opened in East/South San Carlos. The following year Parkway added an additional level of math- the only middle school in the district to do so at that time. Families searched for better middle school options, and followed their friends to high school. This is not to say any one high school is bad. The system hasn't been proactive in providing quality resolutions to problems within schools, even prior to high school. Sometimes the search begins prior to getting to high school.

I would like to point out that Eric Wilson was on the Boundary Committee. If I belive the boundary process was not conducted openly and purposely excluded community input that does not mean that I have any issue with Spring Valley. I don't think it is appropriate for him to even label them as poor.

Eric Wilson is also of the opinion that the decisions of the High School District should be made exclusive of the feeder districts. This he stated openly at the board meeting in January.

Additionally, I think the fact that the La Mesa Patch uses his quote as a headlining statement is in poor taste and reflects a pathetic attempt to market a very important issue which involved hundreds of deservedly concerned parents.

Ms Walker I have a suggestion for you that just may be the perfect solution for you...Homeschool...that way you can keep your child in the bubble you seem to have created and never worry about exposing her to the WORLD! By the way if you ever visited the majority of the GUHSD schools, including Steele Canyon and Helix you'd notice they too have wrought iron gates and fencing...used to close the campuses after students are gone...not while they are in attendance. We can all see by your remarks the type of individual you are...enough said. Good luck.

It is funny that when I graduated Mt. Miguel in 1984 people would say, "Oh you couldn't get in to Monte Vista?" Most of the white kids went to Monte Vista, but I stayed at Mt. Miguel and I would not trade my 4 years there for anything in the world. We had very little cliques (only big shots in their little minds) and 95% got along with each other. What we didn't get along with were the snobs at Monte Vista. My children want to attend Mt. Miguel, but they will probably attend Helix as it is a lot closer to where we live now. I just think it's funny that Monte Vista is having the problem that the original cow pie high had over 25 years ago. Hmmm.

PS GUHSD schools have had closed campuses for years, requiring a note from parents for departure off campus. Fences have been up for years. Closed campuses are supposed to be for safety, to hopefully avert another Littleton. Are you all just noticing these things now? Wake up. When was the last time you walked around the campus or are some of you just too busy with your Facebook page to pay attention?

Sandra Walker,
1. Ignorance is a state of being uninformed. Sounds like you can have a high IQ but be ignorant. 2.You made it MB's & everyone else's business who sends their child to Monte Vista when you put down "our" students. You have no clue. The fences have been up for years. I graduated from MV as well as my children. In the mid 70's we used to sneak off campus for lunch. I have a friend who works at a school that is held in "higher" esteem than MV and she walked into the bathroom on a male and female student , lets just say that they weren't using the bathroom for what it is intended for. It has NOTHING to do with the color of a persons skin! It has everything to do with what choices a teenager makes. You have no idea of what amazing things that happen on campus.You have no idea that the last 3 years MV students have received over a million dollars in scholarships & grants. You have no idea that MV has had back to back winners of the Gates Millenium scholarships. you have no idea that we have students who graduate and get full ride scholarships to MIT and many other wonderful universities. You have no idea that these "white girls" with their black or brown boyfriends or whatever color their skin may be, raise money to give back to those less fortunate on their own campus and many outside charitable organizations. You have no idea whatsoever! Be happy with the choice you made to segregate your daughter, but don't be ignorant, yes ignorant about "our" students!

Some of these ignorant comments just goes to show that being an "adult" doesn't make you mature. I'm the current senior class president at Monte Vista, so allow me to enlighten you all on my personal experience as a student. I'm bi-racial, so yes, my mother was one of those "white girls" who just had a slight case of Jungle Fever (sorry if you didn't catch the joke). My circle of friends include the following ethnicities: Arab, Filipino, Mexican, Caucasian, African-American, and Chinese (by the way it's quite sad of how politically incorrect someone was). We all have different religious views and cultures, but something that Monte Vista forces us to do is COEXIST. Sure, the number of Caucasian students attending Monte Vista has lowered over the years, but gee, is it so bad that they get to taste what it's like being a minority for a few years? Maybe if certain parents stopped shipping their kids to Steele Canyon, Valhalla, and Granite Hills, there would be more. It's mere stupidity to send your child to a school based on the stories you heard or what you think happens on campus. My aunt was planning on sending my cousin to Steele Canyon because she was afraid of what she'd be exposed to. I told her, guess what? No matter what school you choose there are going to be wanna-be thugs, drug-addicts, kids who plan to fail, peers steady pressuring, and temptations such as SEX. Thanks to teachers at Monte Vista like Mr.Wilson, I have a 4.5 GPA & I'm going places. Hail Max!

Mr. Wilson is right.
To everyone on here is leaving arguments trying to justify their opinions: there is no argument! School, specifically High School, is about education. It is not about racial demographics or relationships or your intelligence (that means you 166). If your child is in fact intelligent as you think, he or she will succeed no matter which High School he or she happens to attend. That being said, everyone who is trying to justify choosing another school because it is "better" is mislead, misinformed, and just plain foolish.
Monte Vista is a great school. I cannot stress how much opportunity and education attending Monte Vista has given me. Seeing you people argue otherwise is a huge source of indignation for me, Monte Vista is an awesome school: I would know, on Tuesday I get ("get", its a privilege) to start 1st period at Monte Vista.

How are the majority of these 'concerned' parents who fear their precious white families being infected by interracial relationships still surviving in this world? It's the 21st century where not only colored people and women have rights, but gays of every race do too. This argument can string in a variety of ways, seeing as they are simply concerned with their freedom to choose, but they have yet to grasp the situation out of their ignorant and selfish attitudes.
For the past decade or so, everyone has been complaining about how the major budget cuts are affecting the education system. Well now that the school board and Mr. Wilson have come to address this issue within the Grossmont district, it seems as though nothing they do can make the parents happy. It's a simple fix.
Coming from a student's perspective, I can understand why parents fear certain racial stereotypes, but what they don't understand is that both their actions and inactions directly affect the issue. By not taking the initiative to make a difference and helping out your own community, you fail to be a resposible citizen. By not taking the initiative to change how these low-income schools are perceived, you are taking the easy-road in life; You are teaching your children to be unproductive in the world of adversity you choose to live in.

If a person were to let predispositions affect every move they made, then they would never be able to form their own opinions. Just because Monte Vista has had a "poor" reputation over the past few years, doesn't mean it should remain that way. If you were to personally meet the kids, teachers, and staff that worked there, you might be culture-shocked for a brief moment, but the sincerity and embrace of kindness they have to offer would put you at ease. Kids from Monte Vista have acquired a totally different kind of acceptance & larger mutual understanding of society, contrasted to the kids from the "Hill" schools. They never look at one another with eyes of judgement, but rather eyes of knowledge & wit. They still have the same cliques as other schools do; still the same teenagers. Wild at some points, but geared towards a brighter future.
These "poor" kids, as Eric pointed out, are getting more financial & moral support to advance to college, not only because they show financial need, but because they worked hard for it.
It is understandable to have the right to choose. So if you want your kids to go to a different school, then please, have at it. You're just going to have to move. You made the conscious decision to live in Spring Valley.

If you, the parents, really want your children to live in a better place, then why not make it one for them? Stop hiding from the truth. Like Ch'Bree said, you haven't really lived until you've coexisted.

It is a good thing this article attracted the attention of a commenter who has never once commented in the past and who so..."perfectly"... exemplifies exactly what Eric Wilson is asserting as the sole motivating factor behind parents' concerns about Monte Vista or else people might get the mistaken impression that parents have other legitimate reasons like the highhanded way the boundary committee treated the parents when it upended all the parents careful planning and broke implicit promises just to get out of building Alpine a school and many other commenters would be deprived of the chance to tell people don't be racists which is a good thing to remember.

Us students at Monte Vista have acquired a genuine appreciation for our cosmopolitan population. Sorry we don't offer the silver platters your pampered angels deserve. We might not be as financially blessed as you would like us to be, but that just gives us that extra motivation to work harder. We crave knowledge, we desire to make it to our dream university so we can be someone that none of you would have ever imagined us to become. Your close-mindedness will soon enough get you left behind.

I graduated from MV in '10 and what Wilson says is correct. I wouldn't trade my four years at Monte Vista for anything. I got into Steele Canyon via lottery, but I chose MV in the end. I did fine in Monte Vista, like any high school, it depends on how you make of the experience. I got accepted to all the UC's, and we had to grads to attend MIT.
That's what frustrates me about how parents percieve schools. I know they want to best school for their students but choosing it because they fear of exposing their kids to all the bad things in life. Well your kids need to make their own decisions, they need to be expose to different people and develop a sense of their own opinion. If they teachers are bad, then don't go. But that's not really the case for a majority of MV teachers. Alot of them are very passionate of what they teach, and some made the decision to teach here because they want to help out the underprivilged kids.
I currently attend UCSD, and even if the campus is nestled in the confines of La Jolla, I miss Monte Vista. Something about the people there, they were real, they had their problems, but something about them showed that they weren't bad people. I was always shy, and even if the few "ghetto" kids tease me, they realize that I had potential. They would tell me sometimes with a wistful voice, that I had a future. It made me sad for them, but I felt more understanding. They're real, but lack the support, right friends, and family. We can't be so judgemental.

All I have to say is, even with our school having a population that is mainly made up of the minority races, we are still competing with schools that are predominately white. When I look around, all of the kids going to universities are also minorities and these are the same students passing the AP exams. And a note for the concerned parents, it's not the high school that your child goes to that determines your childs fate. Pregnant students, expelled students, and other issues aren't the high schools fault or the areas fault. It is the students fault and in the end, the fingers are pointed at the childs guardian.

It is truly unfortunate that Monte Vista has such a poor reputation within this community. Clearly, it is not easy choosing what school your child will attend. It is not easy deciding who they will be spending their time with or what they will be learning, but guess what? It is not at all easy to micromanage every second of their lives either. Regardless of where they go, the unfortunate realities of this world will still be encountered. The stories you hear of the drinking, the sex, the drugs? They’ll be whispered in any school in this district.
You are not protecting your child by sending them off to a school consisting of a predominantly white population. Shielding them in this way simply instills in their minds the petty mindsets one can live by. Monte Vista is a school that guarantees diversity. It guarantees your children a chance to feel comfortable in their surroundings. With comfort, comes greater success and determination.
Everyone has a right to their opinion. I know your child’s future holds the utmost importance. But in your efforts to show them that, do not encourage poor judgment and stereotypes. Please, do not promote the disgusting mindsets that we have tried to diminish over the years.
The harsh perceptions that people hold against Monte Vista are in fact holding the students back. Those who want to succeed must see that there’s a brighter future ahead; one that does not consist of budget cuts, shrinking academic programs, and close-minded adults.

I would just like to say it is awesome that past and current MV students have let their voice be heard!! You are our future and you are the reason Monte Vista is such a great school!!!

MVHS is AWESOME :)

I graduated Monte Vista '10. All my friends went to Steele Canyon and I had gotten in via lottery as well but in the end chose to attend Monte Vista. I had the best four years of my life. I got into every college I applied for and had gotten the NROTC for nursing to attend Point Loma Nazarene. Life took a turn and I got pregnant my senior year. Many of you can try and use that as justification to all your claims, but I'm attending San Diego State University, working part time, and am a full time mom. My friends that went to Steele Canyon are probably not doing half of what I am. I'm proud of my school. All of the teachers I had prepared me for college. I love Monte Vista.

It is very sad to read that even in this day and age there could be such narrow minded, ignorant, and uneducated high IQ adults. I attended Monte Vista graduated in '07 the best four years of my life. I had all the support that my family was not providing. I am proud to say I am one of those minority students who was an AVID student, I participated in multiple sports, AP classes and thanks to all my wonderful and very dedicated teachers and staff at Monte Vista, like many other students I am very happy and proud to be graduating from the University of Washington. Monte vista is a great school like any school your child will only learn and make the right choices from what examples they see. There is no need to shelter your daughter from us brown people, if she wants to go and do whatever she wants with someone of a different race she will behind your back. Heart breaking that some of the supposedly parents in this discussion.Don't blame the school for some of your negligence. If you are such dedicated parents show up for a day with your child to school and be involved. Show your kids to live above the influence, because no matter if they go to valhalla or granite if a teenager wants to try drugs, sex, & alcohol they will. Proud to of been a Monarch. The great support, education and the push I received at monte vista has gotten me where I am today. Proud to say I will be receiving my credentials to become a teacher this year and going to my masters program this yr.

First off let me just say that I am a white student at Monte Vista and it sincerely infuriates me when kids from other schools in the district look down on us. For some reason they believe or AP class don't equate to theirs in rigor. I'm pretty sure we all take the same test at the end of the year and our pass rates are right up there with schools like Grossmont. I am graduating this year and I can without a doubt say that Monte Vista is a great school. I love my fellow classmates, not because they have money or because their daddy bought them a nice car, but because they are genuinely nice people. It's actually nice to go to school and to not be surrounded by the drama that goes along with spoiled little boys and girls who think they're entitled to everything. Monte Vista is filled with teachers like Mr. Wilson who care so much and who actually make learning fun. Needless to say I want to see Monte Vista thrive after I graduate but it is hard to predict what will happen unless the negative views are washed away.

As a student that actually wanted to go to Steele Canyon, I decided on a last minute decision to go to Monte Vista. I am so grateful to be a Monarch and it has been one of the best decisions. People may say I missed my chance for a "good school" and perhaps they are right. I would never interact with some great teacher and make good friends. But you know what? That is how life is, we miss chances but we are opened for new ones. Going to Monte Vista has opened a new realm for me. I have gone to know people of every race, every ‘wealth’ status, every personality, and type. I have meet jerks that have no respect, people that do drugs, and people that fight. These are in all schools and it is up to the student to decide whether they want to be a part of it. I have also meet amazing teachers, great friends, and a new aspect in life. I have seen interactions between students of every race and that is something beautiful. Coming from a refugee family, knowing gang members, and seeing drinking, it all comes down to the individual. I have never done any of these antics and I am proud of that. Honestly a student will experience all sorts of ‘negatives.’ Even in college, there will be amazing people, and people that you will question how they even got to college. There will bad people but it is up to the student to make a path for themselves. Monte Vista represents diversity, something that parents should embrace.

I was fortunate enough that my parents choose wisely when they decided to send me to Monte Vista. Half of my family has graduated from MV and my brother is a current senior. And I am pretty sure our family will keep attending MV for generations to come. The reason behind our attendance is that Monte Vista is a school that prepares us for a realistic future. A Future where we know there will be tribulations, racism, and hardship; but also a future full of happiness, success, and appreciation. For years Monte Vista has been preparing our family to have a successful life. I am proud to say that all of us have successful careers and current attendees have a promising future! Teachers are motivating and push you to break your own limits. Counselors and staff are helpful and guide you in every step of your high school years so we can achieve our dreams in the future! Monte Vista Teachers, Counselors and staff keep doing the great job you have been doing all these years! Don’t ever stop feeding those young minds with the knowledge that helps make the citizens our country needs! Thank you MV!

I, know from firsthand experience that Mr. Wilson is a racist. I'm sure if he reads this he will remember his speech he gave to his 5th period class during the "Mexican Walkouts."

But anyways, back on topic...Since many of you have bringing up that its 2012, do I need to remind everybody that where you go to school pretty much reflects the type of lifestyle you live? For example, EVERY teenager knows that Sweet Water HS is filled with beautiful females...so every pretty girl wants to go to that school. EVERY future NFL player wants to go to Helix because Reggie Bush graduated from there....Its not about tests scores, or teachers & certainly not AP courses...Its about the reputation that precedes it & lets face it, MV is reaching Mt.Mighetto status...Classes in bungalows, No school planner, Lockers all rusty...Sharing textbooks, Graduation ceremonies in beat up football fields.

Who wants their kids to go through the same things?

My sister, girlfriend, and I all graduated from Monte Vista. My girlfriend is currently studying at UC Berkeley and my sister is attending San Diego State. We were all accepted to several Universities after Monte Vista and I know students from our graduating classes who received scholarships to Berkeley, Stanford, UCLA, USC, and many other schools. IF the student wants to attend college, the Monte Vista faculty WILL get them there. Mr. Wilson was an amazing teacher and I feel lucky to have been in his class. I feel this way about many of my high school teachers. The ethnic and economical diversity that Monte Vista provided, I feel, really set me up for "the real world" and I believe the experience could be beneficial for every human being.
Sandra Walker- You are what's wrong with the world today and I can probably speak for ever Monte Vista student past, present, and future when I say, good. Send your daughter to one of the "richer" schools like Grossmont. Then she can get stung out on Cocaine like a lot of the other bored rich kids I use to know. Yep. I said it. Monte Vista may have had it's issues but I assure you, Cocaine just never was one. I unfortunately cannot say the same about the "richer" schools.

Class of 08-

I'm Hispanic and I'm 100% confident when I say that Mr. Wilson is NOT a racist. He IS strongly opinionated and if he spoke out against the march, I'm sure he had good reason. There were a lot people spoke out against the march, does that make them a racist? No. Tell me, did Mr. Wilson ever say, "I hate Mexicans (or whites, blacks Persians etc. for that matter)". Im sure that he more than likely, did not.

Oh & those "poor brown kids from spring valley" that you see infront of the school getting dropped off...they get on the city bus & hop on the trolley, make a 2 hour trip to go back home & they do this EVERYDAY, morning & afternoon...to get the same education as the "rich white people" & for what?!? They don't go to all these amazing & wonderful universities you guys speak of.

This whole boundary proposal disgusts me because its nothing but another way to make money. Every student in a seat is a dollar sign & by enrolling these "poor brown kids" knowing they have no future after HS. Its truly sad to see this.

This is all very sad . im a latino grew up in a poor area of spring valley i.graduated in 09 from monte vista attended all ap classes I'm graduated from college already have a great job live on my own and I'm 21 so what does that say ....I say to all you stereo type ppl to grow up were in 2012 diversity is every where you all sadden me with your ignorance so just beucase I'm a latino and brown and was poor means I have no future I'm sorry for my language but f*** you every one has a chance to go somewhere never judge a book by its cover.

To Mr. Wilson, good job. To the other intelligent people, kudos to you for not immediately judging our school. However, some of these comments made me sad. Sad for your children, that is. So you take extra time to make sure that your precious, innocent, middle-class, non-minority child can go to Steele Canyon for a good education- only to have them come home to an ignorant, close-minded, arrogant parent? Let's face it, children model their parents and you can send them to Harvard if you want to, but at the end of the day they're gonna be just as ignorant as you are. And is that fair to them? Is it really fair to send your precious children to a school where they will know no social acceptance, no diversity? Personally, I don't want to be surrounded by people who agree with me, look like me, or have the same finances as my family. I'm a current Monte Vista student, I have a high GPA, and I'm proud of my school.

I want to say that I loved Monte Vista and I think it was BY FAR THE BEST CHOICE I had made in my life. I graduated in 10' and even after 2 years have gone by, I still miss all the teachers and students that I had come to know there over the years. the best part of that school was the Marching Band. Mrs. Thompson was the greatest teacher and simply wonderful. the band gave me the best experience of my life. now I play in the SDSU Marching band. and I LOVE IT! and that is just one of the teachers. I had Mr. Wilson... and let me tell you. I am HORRIBLE AT HISTORY! and yes, you guessed it. He is a history teacher. he taught it in such a way that it was fun to go to his class everyday. it was so engaging. I learned so much and I did well. he challenged me and was very hard, but in my other school I was never pushed so hard. He believed in me and for all his student.s he truly cares about us. He is an amazing teacher and I will always remember how he taught us our presidents and my fav subject of pearl harbor. He made learning fun, and I promise you, if you were a student in that class, you were there to learn. He is just one of the examples of the many amazing teachers and staffs there at MV. the students, teachers, staffs. its a community I am so deeply proud to have been apart of. I picked to go to that school and I am 19 years old and I am proud to say that I have made nothing but amazing choices in my life. MV being the top in the list. I wouldnt change it for the world.

Wilson says there is no money. Monarch says there is a new science building, football field, library, and lockers.

"Umm" and "so sad" are unavailable for sock puppet comment at this time.

You guys are missing the point, any latino actually living in Spring Valley needs to have cash, period. I mean, you have to PAY to get your trash picked up & it ain't cheap.

To the "poor brown kids" I was referring to, I meant the ones without citizenship. The ones who live in Tijuana but use their friends address' here in Spring Valley to go to school. There were far too many people doing this, I know because I was really good friends with them.

Friends with students that took nothing but AP classes, straight A"s, never ditched class, never smoked or drinked. Where are they now? In Mexico working a $2 an hour job all because they didn't have a social security to attend all those universities that MV has been sending their students to.

So forgive me when I read this article & get mad because all the rich white people don't want to send their kids to MV due to the poor brown kids attending.

I was valedictorian of mv. My sister salutatorian. I go to a top 10 school. My sister went to an ivy league. Sandra Walker, it's not the school a child goes to, it's the child themselves. A successful person can succeed anywhere and in any situation. I suppose you're not a good enough parent to trust that your daughter will make the right choices in life. I feel sorry for you that you don't have faith in your child.

All the schools in the district have made major improvements to their campuses that were built about 50 years ago with the bonds that were passed. This is public knowledge. The money Mr Wilson speaks of is money to actually run those schools. We are losing vital staff because of budget cuts and this too is public knowledge. If everyone attended schools within their boundary the idea is attendance would be more evenly disbursed instead of numbers like Granite Hills 2800+ and Santana 1400. We have a new state of the art science building, beautiful new library with everything a student needs to do research, new counseling and resource center soon to open, and beautiful new astro turf football field, which saves the cost of and use of water. All this and more thanks to all of us that voted for the school bonds.

I was given the option to send my daughter to Valhalla--thanks to "No Child Left Behind" MV was rated "process improvement" (or whatever that nonsense is). I chose not to do so. In the end, it all boils down to academics. Or it should. My daughter was being challenged at MV. The AP courses were rigorous and the few non-AP courses she took were also challenging. As far as the demographics? Wake up people. If your children do attend college or university, coming from a culturally, ethnically, and socio-economically diverse school is a bonus! Because guess what? Higher education is one of the last examples of that great American melting pot that we all came from at one time. As a military family, we were transferred right before my daughter's senior year. And I wish she was still at MV.

Fred- you're point of view is straigt out ridiculous. You're saying that opportunity be taken from the future of some of the brightest young people at this school. I'm curious Fred, what is your White, middle class profession?

I hope Fred and Sandra Walker never fornicate...the spawn..ugh.

@things: let's form a committee with Eric Wilson and 10 other Guhsd administration to find out root cause. @Ryan: I went to a high school my frosh year with 1k students and remaining years at bigger school taking all college prep classes. I preferred smaller school. Please dont bring race card into this like your leader Eric Wilson. My race and profession have nothing to do with this. As I said earlier, if you are concerned about bringing more students to your school, don't do it via a phony boundary committee. Work on MVHS overall graduation rates and test scores or programs that make student want to come to MVHS like Granite Hills IB program or El Cap agricultural program.

As an attendee of monte vista, i can vouch for all that is Wilson. ALL HAIL MAXIMUS

@ Fred. I simply inquire about your profession for I have no desire to support you, your family, or your business in any way whatsoever and would like to place a personal boycott on any establishment employing such a narrow minded and ignorant individual. The race card, that was based on context clues provided by yourself in previous statements.

@Ryan: if that makes you feel good to call me that then so be it. However, please review my comments that a smaller school can be more beneficial in some cases; a boundary committee should be made up of all members of the community (not 14 of 15 Guhsd administrators) and openly communicated to all from beginning of the office process; and if a school wants to gain students it should do it by merit (improving overall graduation rates and overall test scores or offering a special program like Granite Hills IB Program or El Cap's agriculture program) not by forcing people to come to a school when enrollment is trending downward distinct-wide.

District-wide

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlLPAIrmqvE

Fred,
Ain't you a bit racist?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNi-BB-j0u0

MV cross country and wrestling have a history of destroying most of the other schools in the grossmont district, yet MV still loses students to "safer" schools. Pretty sad.

I am a current student at Monte Vista High School and I must say I didn't want to go there. I was in Steele Canyon's boundary and I was excited to go there with friends yet MV was a more reasonable choice for my dad's work schedule. Well, I also attend a church with nothing but kids from Mount Miguel. They say nothing but Negative things to me about Monte Vista trashing only our sports making want to switch to Mount Miguel but I still had to go to Monte Vista. My first day there was intimidating starting off barely knowing anybody but as time progressed I realized I love Monte Vista so much. I made so many amazing people. After school when i'm on Facebook I see my friends from Steele Canyon posting pictures of them at school way to dressed up for me. I realized that I would have never fit in socially at Steele and at Mount Miguel I hear nothing but negatives things about the student body and how mean they are. I even saw a comment from a MM student saying 'I wish I went to Monte Vista I heard they were so nice...' That student attended Mount Miguel. All I am asking is that you give Monte Vista a chance. We have amazing classes, a beautiful campus, and loving people. I don't regret coming here at all and when I had Mr. Wilson as teacher he taught me so much not only about history but in life. He is NOT racist whatsoever. If anything he has opened my eyes to the many wonderful cultures of the world past and present. I am a Monarch for life and I regret nothing.

Ok folks, it's getting out of hand here. The problem is not the school, the parents, the kids, or the teachers. All this passion needs to re-directed towards the people that caused it. The right wing, fanatical religious people that are on GUHSD Board are just rubbing their hands together and chuckling because many responding are proving their racist fantasies to be true. Why fight amongst ourselves when those horrible backward thinking people on the Board, are the ones we should be ousted on their butts and soon! They are the ones that have tried to pass their own agenda without parents, teachers and students knowledge. They are trying to take things away, and we are so busy fighting ourselves, that they, once again, are going to win. Put all this passion into petitions and even maybe protests!! Stop complaining and do something about it!!!!!!!!!!

I would like to start off by saying hi. My name is Carly Boyd. I am currently a senior at Monte Vista High School, and have attended this school for all four years of my high school life. The comments made about our school, teachers, and students has offended me and deeply saddened me.
Many of you may feel that I am biased because I attend Monte Vista High School, and why would I say something bad about it right? Wrong. I am not here to try to convince you that our school is amazing, nor disprove the greatness of other schools in the district. I am simply here to enlighten the minds of many people who have commented on the article.
I do not believe that I have to prove the school I attend to anybody, the proof is in the success of the students: AP, honors, and college prep alike. I have many different kinds of friends at Monte Vista. I have my circle of close girls that take the same AP and honors classes that I do, I have friends that have a less rigorous schedule than the schedule that I take, and I have friends that could be trying harder. That sounds roughly like, well, every other high school on the planet. There are the over-achievers, the achievers, and the under-achievers at every school. The classes that are offered at Monte Vista are the same caliber as the classes offered at any other high school in the district. That goes for the students and staff as well. They are also of the same caliber.

I am not going to say, from my stance, that the students and staff are better at Monte Vista than the other schools or vice versa because I have not attended other schools. I wish that others would take that same stance. In my opinion, one should not comment on something that one does not know about.
What I do know is that Monte Vista has given me an excellent education. I have been accepted to several of the universities that I have applied for, including my number 1 choice, Point Loma Nazarene University with a merit scholarship. I would not have been able to do that if it weren’t for the support that I welcomed from the staff at my school. It was my choice to succeed in high school, as it is for all high school students.
As for the race issue, I am shocked. I do not think the “color” or “culture” of the student population matters in the slightest. Like I have previously stated, it is the student’s choice to succeed or fail. The fact that more ethnicities are surrounding that student does not make the difference. It does however open the mind to culture. This is a good thing.
In conclusion, I would like to say that if one is going to choose what school their child goes to, or if a student is feeling a particular way about another school, please be informed when making a decision or judgment.
By the way . . . I am white.

Mr. Wilson and I both agree that Monte Vista is a perfectly acceptable learning institution. I have acquired this information from a conversation I had with him. I am a former student of his. We both love Monte Vista High School.

"We allow our ignorance to prevail upon us and make us think we can survive alone, alone in patches, alone in groups, alone in races, even alone in genders."
-Maya Angelou

How can people honestly believe that Monte Vista is a substandard school after reading the comments that students have posted? They prove that the students who attend Monte Vista are passionate and bright individuals who care about their education and their future. Anyone who believes otherwise, clearly hasn't looked into the school thoroughly enough.

The Boot! Give the scum the boot. Students need to register to vote when 18, and parents need to make this a family event. Get the scumbag Board out NOW!!

Yes, let's focus on one, then just like our debts, get rid of them one by one. Get those "Good Ol' Boys" out of GUHSD!!

It seems now that I may be too late for my say to be heard as the comments have slowly died out, but I can’t continue to read this article and not say anything.

I should introduce myself first—I’m one of the two MIT students that graduated from Monte Vista a few years ago. One of the “dog and pony-show-MIT grad[s]”, as I was referred to earlier in the comments.

When I was a student at Monte Vista, I was never bound to what I could accomplish. The resources at MV were invaluable to my development as a student and as a person. To be honest, I don’t think I’d be where I am today without MV.

Why?

Because, at MV, I learned what it meant to think, to analyze, to synthesize and apply and create. I learned what it meant to be team player, to be a leader, and to make tough decisions. I learned that a community can be made up of people from all types of backgrounds and there will be no concept of “race”.

The community that I built at MV had students from all grades, teachers from all four years, administrators, staff, coaches, and even parents I came to know through my various activities and accomplishments.

Mr. Wilson is not a racist—let me put that out there right now. The comments that Mr. Wilson made in this article have been taken out of context and twisted in ways by various individuals that make me nauseous. The worst thing that Mr. Wilson could possibly be held accountable for is speaking the truth. He may have said things rather bluntly, but they were the truth nonetheless.

MV is a school where resources are (or were) plentiful. Of the sixteen (16) AP courses offered, I took 13 of them. And I passed all but one of them, because I was taking 8 of them at the time. Here’s the thing: I am not a “prodigy”, I am not “intellectually gifted”, and I am definitely not a “genius”. So here’s the truth: I wouldn’t have been able to pass those classes without having the right teachers to guide me. Other students who made the effort to take multiple AP classes got into great colleges and received prestigious scholarships—my year alone MV sent students to MIT, UCB, UCSD, UCD, UCLA, Wake Forest, Cal Lutheran, USCGA, Brigham Young and a plenty of others I can’t remember. We had students receive the Millennium Gates scholarship and a Dell scholarship.

With the conversations that I continue to have with teachers, Wilson is correct—teachers have received pink slips and we’re at risk for losing AP courses. I think three teachers were given pink slips my year alone. And what is that doing to our school? It’s increasing the class size—while the teaching staff is losing numbers. Someone said that having a smaller school may be a good idea. I’m not disagreeing, but I can’t agree either. We need teachers in our classrooms. To even begin about thinking of having a small school, you need to have the staff. Without staff, there is no school. And to pay for those teachers, we need student attendance. Every time a student is absent, the school loses money for teachers, for facilities, and all the staff that makes the school run. Every time a student transfers to another school, MV loses money.

That’s not to say that other schools in the district aren’t in the same situation—I’m sure there are. But, as a MV alum, I can’t speak for them and their individual situations.

I myself had the choice to attend Helix, Valhalla, and Steele Canyon due to my personal living arrangements. But I chose Monte Vista. Would I have done as equally well if I had attended any of the other schools—most likely. Does that make me think any less of Monte Vista, or any of the other schools in the district for that matter? Not in the least. Students have the potential to succeed at every school in the district. Charter or not.

There are a few things that make the difference between a student graduating and dropping out.
The first is the student him/herself. How does the student view the importance of education? How driven is the student? How is education viewed at home?

The second is teachers—yes, there are good and bad teachers. Teachers need to be effective at their jobs and enjoy teaching.

The third, and in my opinion, the most crucial, is parents—parents NEED to be involved in their student’s educational development. Parents cannot expect teachers and staff to take their place as the people who make sure that their kids are doing well in school. Parents need to understand that school is a place where students go to learn and that school is not a daycare. Parents need to understand that, if a teacher is calling them about disciplinary issues, chances are that the teacher has a legitimate reason for making that call home—teachers absolutely hate stopping class because one student is acting out when there are thirty other students who are ready and willing to learn. I was lucky in that my parents made it a point to be at every event they could make. Not every student is.

The last is the community itself—the community that a student is a part of will directly influence how they do in school. This community is made up of not only the students, staff, and parents, but how others perceive their community. I can’t recall how many times students and parents from other schools would look down on Monte Vista, simply because we weren’t majority white. How many times they would look down on me, because I wasn’t white. Yes, I had my personal community that I described earlier—but as a person it did not encourage me to be open to others. If anything, it bred hostility towards outsiders. It’s odd, looking at it now—it was really trivial, actually. This past year another student came to MIT who graduated from Steele Canyon. What we talked about when we met wasn’t the stereotypes of our alma maters, but how much we loved San Diego, how much we enjoyed our high schools and the lack of good Mexican food here in Boston.

Which leads me to what I feel I can call my conclusion.

The color of your skin does not affect how you function as a person, nor should anyone judge you by the color of your skin. You as an individual do not have to live up to the stereotypes that society expects you to follow. You, as a person, can accomplish many great things, no matter what color you appear to be on the outside.

To any parents reading this: You do currently have a choice in what school your child attends. I am only one person giving his personal thoughts and feelings on a subject that many deem controversial. Should the attendance boundaries change, I encourage you to give Monte Vista the benefit of a doubt.

To any current Monte Vista students reading this: I know most of you don’t know who I am, but I as a fellow Monarch, I challenge you to exceed and surpass all expectations, to make Monte Vista proud.

That goes for any other students reading this from other schools as well—succeed, surpass, make your mark and the entire Grossmont Union High School District proud.

From the perspective of a former student—a student that came from the poorest part of Spring Valley, MVHS did extremely well by me. The teachers were earnest, passionate, insightful, and fully engaged with every topic and every student. I did not have the best grades in high school, which could be attributed to many things, but, I would never with an honest heart, be able to say one of those reasons was to be shouldered by the school. Because of the experience and support I received at Monte Vista, I'm soon to graduate with a 3.85 GPA and I’ll be sending in my applications for graduate school this year. I have an opportunity to be more than I ever thought possible and I owe it to an amazing core of teachers that taught lessons in the intangibles and bettered me as a person.

Letting stigma about a school sway you, is absurdly wrong; all schools deserve equal opportunity to help your children grow. If there is something so utterly terrible about the schools available in your community, get up and do something about it. It's your community! Why let it fall from your standards? The most ignorant choice you can make is to abandon your home and turn a blind eye by sending your child off to something you "think" is better. This is why the "bad" schools get worse. This is why your “good” neighborhood isn’t up to par. Stop giving up, stop hypocritically judging; you are the citizen of this community and it's your civic responsibility to make it the best it can be.

From MVHS website: Graduation Rate 80.75%.

Every school will have high achievers (AP students who go on to great colleges and careers). MV should continue to promote high achieving students but also emphasize the majority of students to graduate (by better counseling, teaching methods, and parent involvement). 1 in 5 NOT graduating is a brutal statistic for MVHS. Wilson is an awesome teacher for the high achieving kids, no doubt!

Thanks Daniel, your remarks are very thoughtful. Can you explain the other way to read Wilson's quote?

“I’m afraid of what you have on that campus. I don’t want my middle-class white kid playing with poor brown kids. Fact. They will never admit it, but that’s exactly what they mean. And I resent that.”

Did he teach these "facts" while you were there or is this new curriculum?

You mentioned that pink slips were handed out while you were there. Is there a memorable teacher that was lost? (Other than the one that went to a "70%" white school).

It seems MV's staff has suffered yet no one can cite how. What we do know is more money should lessen the confusion.

Komfort,

The quote you want me to elaborate on has been read out of context. Here’s what the article says:

“When hypothetically asked [from the point of view of a parent], ‘This is America, and I do have a choice, so why shouldn’t I send my children to wherever I want them to go?’ Wilson responded in defense of his campus.

From this point on, everything within brackets [] is said from the point of view of a parent who is talking to Mr. Wilson—not Mr. Wilson himself. (Brackets because italics don’t carry on through the comment section).

‘You tell me exactly why you feel you need to go to another school?’ he said. ‘[Well, I want to send my kids to a school to prepare them to attend a four-year university]. Done. You take all of the AP classes here, and you’re going to be on the same path as lots of students who are on their way to major universities from Monte Vista.

‘[Well, I want my student to be part of band. Guess what we’ve got an award-winning band here. But I want to make sure they have AVID]. We are an AVID demonstration school. I could go down the list.

‘[Oh, but I want them to play football]. We’ve got a stadium too. Let’s play football; it’ll be a blast. Everything that parents want, Monte Vista can provide. So what’s left?

‘[I’m afraid of what you have on that campus. I don’t want my middle-class white kid playing with poor brown kids]. Fact. They will never admit it, but that’s exactly what they mean. And I resent that.’”

All these negative comments are truly UNCESSARY. Monte Vista is DIVERSE. No one is hiding. I must admit, that I was a student who wanted to go to Mount Miguel, but due to the boundaries, I had to come here (Monte Vista). Im very blessed to be given the oppurtunity to even attend this school, with its AMAZING AP and HONORS courses. Where ever you go, you'll find gangs, pregnant women etc. ITS LIFE. High school works just the same. It doesnt matter, what school you go to, YOU'LL FIND these things there. Not every school is perfect. You go to school to learn, not be scared of whatever racial issues you have or what kind of people go there. High school is where your child finds out who they are and where they determine where their priorities will lie in the future. Although, you may want the best for your child, in the end, its YOUR CHILD you makes their decisions on what they want to do. COLLEGE isnt always the place people want to go, theres the NAVY, COLOR GUARD, ARMY ETC. It isnt the only option thats given. Ex: Nick Cannon, ALUMNI of Monte Vista, where'd he end up? Right. In Hollywood. as well as many other high schools in this district, MV struggles too. This school has tryed and STILL is trying to persuade younger generations to attend it, because it has SO MUCH to offer, but many individuals overlook it because of what they "think" is going to happen to their child if they were to come here. I SUPPORT Mr. Wilson 100%.

STOP being counterrevolutionaries.

Komfort, the part you choose to focus on this the last part of this excerpt. If you notice what’s inside the brackets, you’ll see that the “racist” part of the quote is said from the point of view of a parent who is talking to Mr. Wilson. Is it something a parent will say to a teacher in person? No, because it’s socially repulsive. However, as much as I don’t like it, there are parents who think those exact thoughts when Monte Vista is brought up in conversation. What Mr. Wilson stated is fact—there are people in the GUHSD that are racist and that do think of themselves as better people because they’re white. And these people look down on MV because the majority population is not white.

What Mr. Wilson is alluding to is the fact that there are parents who will choose a different school because MV has a lot of students of color. That’s what Mr. Wilson is alluding to, and he says it because it’s unfairly affecting enrollment at MV. Is it a bit unsettling to read? Yes. But, it’s the truth, and it’s only appropriate that he says it considering the nature of the article.

As for the citations you want, I've gotten in contact with MV, and I'm waiting for a reply. I'll share them once I get them.

Daniel, You are very intelligent, inciteful and a breath of fresh air compared to some of the other posts on here. It's great you are supporting MV and Mr Wilson. However, Mr Wilson (I'm assuming) came up with these racial stereotypical questions for the article on his own. I do wish he would have included a VERY important question,"I wonder if students don't want to come to MV because only 80% of the students graduate?"

A majority of MV students aren't taking AP classes and as successful as you. It's just something to consider and be objective about.

Wilson created the "hypothetical" parent and created the "hypothetical" conversation. At MIT how does one proceed from hypothesis to fact? Hopefully not the same way Mr Wilson does.

@ Honest
"The majority of MV students aren't taking AP classes and as successful as you."

There are more students taking AP classes at Monte Vista than at any other school in the district with the exception of Valhalla:

Percent Students in AP Courses:
Valhalla 12.9%
Monte Vista 12.5%
West Hills 9.4%
Steele Canyon 8.5%
Granite Hills 6.9%
Grossmont 5.9%

In regards to the 80% graduation rate, Monte Vista has an intervention program called the Learning Center which allows students to complete their graduation requirements through an independent-study based program. Some students take 5 or more years to complete the program. While the algorithm used to calculate graduation rate does not take these students into account, the Learning Center is allowing more students to graduate on their own terms and the overall graduation rate is on the rise.

That is an encouraging statistic about MV ap classes vs. other schools. It seems like ap program at MV is excellent. The 5 yr plan is a little different but hopefully it helps certain kids. The 80% grad rate sure doesnt look good on the surface. Best of luck Monarchs.

I heard about this article at school today and could not even believe the audacity of the community. I attend Monte Vista. I am white. I have had Mr. Wilson as a teacher. I want to begin by crediting Mr. Wilson’s comments.
Mr. Wilson’s AP class was the beginning of my AP classes at Monte Vista. He stands up for causes with a purpose. I am 100% glad Mr. Wilson is on the Boundary Committee because he knows what Monte Vista can offer.
As far as academics, I have taken 6 AP classes and passed every test, earning college credit. This year I am currently enrolled in 3 AP classes. I am ranked 4th in my class with a 4.7. Being in a minority school has not harmed my education. The diversity in our school as taught me about the real world, not through cruel harsh experiences, but through the acceptance and understanding. What will happen when your children are confronted with people of another race in college, the work field, or even as neighbors? If your child is going to fail, it is their choice. Do not try to blame other people because every individual has his or her own opportunities. Stop making excuses to not send your children to Monte Vista. Children in every high school can fail; children in every high school can succeed.

Our school has new science classrooms, new art rooms, a new library, and a new turf field. The money does not come from the same place as the teachers' budgets. Low attendance at Monte Vista hurts our programs because fewer teachers on the campus have to make room for the same amount of essential classes. I was distraught to find that my past AP Biology teacher cannot continue to teach his class next year because he has taken over a different program.
I have played varsity sports; I have joined clubs; I have become a Monarch.
Those of you in the community thriving off every negative aspect within the school are only making the situation worse. If you cared enough about your children to actually look at the positive qualities of schools, you would see the truth—Monte Vista excels in many areas. Stop ignorantly judging us as a high school. We have earned more than the community would like to admit. I know as a student at Monte Vista I have worked just as hard (if not harder) than the students attending the other high schools. Many of us Monarchs have. No school is perfect. It’s time the community understands who we are and all we have achieved.

Okay. So first of all, i just want to say something. Some of you are obviously ignorant of what's going on because you're too busy criticizing people's grammar. Well. Thanks, but we don't need you in this conversation. Oh and by the way, I saw some grammar mistakes from people other than Monte Vista students. Odd. I thought you would have corrected them. But I guess not since you obviously have no other way to criticize the Monte Vista students. That's probably because you have no reason to belittle Monte Vista and you're just looking for reasons to make them look bad. Sorry we're not putting enough effort for you. The twenty ( oh and just for the people that are taking everything literally, that doesn't mean exactly twenty. It's a rough estimate.) other Monte Vista students that are taking the time to write out long messages about their personal experience definitely give the school a bad name. That was sarcasm. I'll just spell everything out for you guys.
This is about the boundary changes. Just so you know. I'm still not sure if you did...

Also this isn't about pretty girls so bye. Find a pretty girl from Sweetwater since that's all you can think about. And the reason that Monte Vista might not look as nice as Steele Canyon is Steele is new. As is Valhalla. It's not because Monte Vista is a low income school. I don't know why some of you are bashing on other people, calling them racist, and assuming things you know nothing about. Some of you haven't been to Monte Vista so you have no right to say things based on what you hear. And neither should the people that go to Monte Vista should say things about other schools they know nothing about. Okay. So I'll actually move on to the real issue. A school is only as good as the people that go there. Obviously, with so many biased views toward Monte Vista, Monte Vista is losing a good amount of people. I'm not sure where all these negative beliefs about Monte Vista are coming from, but based on the Monte Vista students that are actually partaking in this conversation, I'm thinking it came from people that have never been to Monte Vista. Any students will get the same education. They will get a diploma. They will all have the opportunity to take AP tests. If they actually try, no matter what school they go to, the will get into a good college. Blame your student if they don't. Not the school. Oh, so you want to take IB classes? Agriculture programs? Well, If it's such a big deal to you, I'm liking the idea that you move.

I am a former student of Monte Vista and my mom works at MV. My siblings also attended MV, my oldest sister graduated in 3 years, my brother was an amazing athlete and my other sister was homecoming queen and student class president. If it weren't for the amazing staff at MV we all wouldn't be where we are today. MV has staff that actually cares about their students. I had the priviledge of having Mr. Wilson my sophomore year and although we didn't always agree on many things, he IS a remarkable teacher, he cares for the wellbeing of his students and truly wants to see them succeed. Mone Vista may not be the most appealing school just by the looks of it, but that isn't what its really about. The teachers are good teachers, the staff is extremely helpful and they have amazing people like my mom who are willing to do whatever is neccessary to help their students succeed, WHICH is what it is really about. @ Kevin, you need to grow up, you are putting down students in high school because they may get confused with their, they're and there. Is that really neccessary? What these kids need are people lifting them up telling them they can do anything they set their minds to, because that is the truth. There is no need for your pathetic tries at tearing them down.

They are proud of their school, as they should be. @class of 08, can you not even show your name? I graduated 3 years before you and never once did i "share a textbook" and yeah the lockers are rusty, if that is stopping you from getting the education you "deserve" than that is one pathetic excuse.
If a parent uses the excuse "i want my child to have the best possible educational experience" and " im afraid for what the will besubjected to" as to why they wouldn't send their kids to MV, then you need to take a good long look at their child because that what it comes down to. Sending your child to Valhalla over MV isn't going to better their chances of going to a UC or any college for that matter, it all depends on the child's willingness. to learn. Mr. Wilson, i applaud your courage to write this article, its about time someone take a stand and I'm proud to see that others are following suit!!

I am a current teacher at Monte Vista and I feel compelled to address some of your concerns. The comments on this forum indicate that people have three primary concerns with Monte Vista: the racial make-up of the school, the economic status of our student body, and our academic performance.
Let me first address the most sensitive of these issues—race. Many of you seem to feel that it was unfair of Mr. Wilson to decry the racial bias of many parents when choosing their students’ schools. I know Mr. Wilson, so I believe I can speak for him when I say that he did not mean to imply that every parent who chooses to send his or her student to another school is a racist. His frustration springs from the fact that we have made consistent gains in academic performance, yet the perception of our school remains negative. This perception is partly our fault; we have striven to help our kids succeed, but perhaps we have not worked hard enough to communicate this success to the community. Wilson’s assent to Mr. Yates’ article was part of his attempt to inform the community that Monte Vista is competitive in academics, arts, and athletics. It also sprang from his frustration at the difficulty we have had in changing people’s views of our school.

Mr. Wilson is amongst the best teachers in our school, and, from everything I have seen, amongst the best teachers I have ever known. I have a nine-year-old sister, and I look forward to the day when she can attend Monte Vista and take Mr. Wilson’s class. He does not just teach history; he changes kids’ lives, as the comments from current and former students indicate.
While (with a few exceptions) I don’t believe the people on this forum hold racial biases, race is not an uncommon reason that parents choose their students’ schools. Last year, one of my neighbor’s kids graduated from Grossmont. When I asked her what she thought of the school, she replied that it wasn’t very good, and the only reason she could give was the fact that most of the kids she saw when she picked her daughter up from school were Hispanic. Sadly, race remains an issue in our communities.

I only wish the woman who was concerned that her daughter would come to Monte Vista and get involved with an African American boy could come to my class. A few weeks ago, two former students (who are dating) came to my class during lunch and sat in the corner. It was obvious that the girl had been crying, so I walked over to see if I could do anything to help. She told me that her father did not want her to date a black kid and was threatening to punish her harshly if she kept seeing him. While she explained this to me, he sat and calmly listened. Her father was discriminating against him for no reason but the color of his skin. His response was not to get angry or lash out or try to convince her to rebel against her parents. His response was care and compassion and love. If I ever have a daughter, I can only hope that she will meet someone as kind and thoughtful as him.
The second issue (Monte Vista’s low SES) is more complex. Earlier, a gentleman commented that he did not want to send his child to a school with an impoverished population. I completely understand. Parents should be protective of their children. I do, however, hope that he will consider a few factors.

The first is that school choice on a broad scale threatens to decimate schools in low socio-economic areas. If many parents feel like he does and refuse to take a chance on schools like Monte Vista, students will continue to flock to schools in more affluent neighborhoods and schools like Monte Vista will continue to lose funding and lose good teachers. If this does continue, schools like Monte Vista and Mount Miguel (which need and deserve more resources) will invariably lose the academic gains that they have achieved. In effect, the mistaken perception that our schools are dangerous or underachieving will become the reality.
The second is that our status as a low SES has hindered the performance of our teachers or rendered our student body untrustworthy. Our teachers are bright and dedicated and our students are good, hard-working people. Anyone who doubts the dedication of our teachers need only read the article on Mr. Wilson and anyone who doubts the citizenship of our students need only see the comments by kids like Ch’bree and Savannah and Carly and Hannah and Karina. Our teachers come to work and to serve, and our kids come to school to succeed.

The third issue is the mistaken belief that kids should be protected at all costs from exposure to hardship. I cannot recall any figure in history that I would define as an exemplary person, who was not motivated by a desire to help those who struggle. If you send your kids to Monte Vista, they will be confronted by kids with real problems who come to school every day and work hard to better themselves. The students who lead difficult lives through no fault of their own but still work hard and care about their school and their families and their friends are positively inspiring. They are the reason I love being a teacher and, if you have the courage to send your child to Monte Vista, they may also be the reason your child strives to succeed and to serve.

The final concern that I would like to address is Monte Vista’s academic performance, but since I have already used up so much space, and since she did a much better job at it than I could, I will simply refer you to Mrs. V’s comments above. Our academic success is not up for debate. The data proves it.
Please forgive me for writing so much. This article and forum were brought to my attention several days ago and I have been ruminating about them ever since. If I may leave you with one more thought, it is that in any debate the temptation to win at any cost often overcomes the search for the truth. Feel free to disagree with me or Mr. Wilson or any of our students, but first, please ask yourself if you are doing so because you truly believe we are wrong or if you decided to oppose us before you began. And please, remember that many of the people commenting are current high school students and while they are bright and mature, they are still kids and should be treated with kindness and understanding, not anger and ridicule.

I think certain individuals from both sides should ask mr. Wilson what a real racist is. He thouroughly explained what a real GHETTO and what a real RACIST are. I agree with everyone on the wilson side but for both parties, place for the sake of everyones own ignorance learn what these words really mean. Chosing to go to a prodominantly anglo-saxon, caucasian, white school because MV has more blacks, latinos, asians, Pacific islanders, middle eastern people, and random unknowns don't mean anything! I've seen ghetto. Those who oppose wilsons argument have no idea what ghetto is. Come to my school and find me after 6th period and i'll take u down to visit my family in south central, compton, and long beach.

Wilson's racist parent was fiction. Read the article again.

Students have not "lost" staff. Read the comments again.

Here is a hypothetical conversation between a taxpayer and a union teacher.

"Money?" "Money." "Money??" "Money!!"

FACT: Money.

Perhaps in the future Mr Wilson would be more careful with his semantics (e.g. "hypothesis") and we wouldn't have this cyber riot. I feel sorry for the good kids of Monte Vista to be dragged into this. Mr Wilson you did not foster community only negativity by this article -- take a look at fast approaching 200 comments. Personally if the Superintendent had any smarts he would reprimand you. What if teachers from El Cajon Valley or Mount Miguel or El Capitan made similar statements in the press ("...they don’t want to send their middle-class kids to interact with the poor kids from <fill in the blank>".)

If people can make comments about the culture of Monte Vista based on popular opinion without stepping foot on campus then Mr. Wilson is entitled to create a hypothetical conversion based on experience, private conversations and overheard sentiments.
I think some readers are taking his comments personally. He's not saying "you" don't want to send your kids to MV because of race or SES. He merely pointed out that those people do exist (prior comments support this) and is frustrated that they base their opinions on those statistics yet never bother to look at any of the others:

- highest API increase in the district last year
- Second highest percentage of students taking AP courses
- The only school in the district with Gates Millenium Scholars, 2 years in a row
- One of the top 3 schools in the district with the highest SImilar School Ranking, 3 years running
- One of Newsweek's top 1600 schools for AP courses and API increase
- And don't forget our award-winning band, performing arts and stellar athletics

As for the article not fostering community, the majority of the comments are in loving support of the diverse community and culture at Monte Vista in attempt to reverse the predetermined negative ones alive in the community. This is OUR forum to show you who WE are and prove the stereotypes false.

I applaud Ms Walker for defending her beliefs with such tenacity, fending off contradictions with only exclamation points, capital letters, and superior intelligence.I am still in awe of her towering intellect. It is so very rare to find a clinically diagnosed Genius. And Ms. Walker, as an aside, I must ask, in what field do you apply yourself? Surely, it is vital to protect your daughter from those dark deviants, with their notorious sexual appetites and likely drug habits, but I expect you are also writing the great American novel, or researching cancer or some other such hobby the brilliant find to pass time. And though I am left dumbstruck by the nonchalance with which you can assert such a superior faculty of reason—like reading a Christmas newsletter and seeing, “visited Stockholm, won Nobel,” you grande dame, equal parts wit and modesty—I am equally moved by your logic.

At first, it was not clear. I felt myself a child confronted with Duchamp's fountain. Although, I hope I can say without boasting that once, with only my name and birthday, a website gave me an IQ near your own, which sadly shrunk to less Everestian heights when tested at university. Thus, Ms. Walker, if I am poorly equipped by the paltry analytical skills Monte Vista gave me, I still flatter myself to think I am not completely at a loss to know your mind, and am invigorated by the insights to be gleaned.

Ruminating on your brilliance, envying your understanding of THE REAL WORLD, I think I did reach a sort of epiphany. For as I'm sure you know, Ms. Walker, IQ has come under fire in educational circles. Both the idea of inherent intelligence, the notion of a single type of intelligence, the plasticity of that intelligence, and the testing of said intelligence etc etc have made IQ treacherous water. It is more
than just a number, but the problem is nobody seems to agree on how much more than a number it really is.

But, when you use your remarkable IQ to comment on a comment you said did not deserve comment, you asserted a worldview, you codified your understanding of THE REAL WORLD—in effect it became a supracomment that says all and more one could possibly care to know. You made it clear you possess no patience for subtlety, you invest in the earnest appearance of things.And I applaud you for this. Lesser thinkers might question how a“100% Mexican” could worry that her daughter would be a “white girl” making out with a Mexican. Not you, you have the intelligence to pass by that paradox and settle firmly on solid delineations.

[I do fear for you, knowing that what we are prohibited we exalt and then covet. Knowing also the awful things my friends' little brothers have said about being the only black men at schools full of curious white girls—and how ironic it is, to see that these younger siblings have fled the diverse schools of their elders. But then, I'm sure you know all of this, and surely have prepared your daughter, and of course, no Casanova was ever white, right?] Modernity is a volatile, gelatinous thing. The subtleties of the modern day are expanded and expounded. It is an overwhelming deluge of qualifying, a torrential onslaught of the graying of black and white. And I applaud you, Ms. Walker; you are too intelligent to fall for that.

I recently read Travels with Charley, perhaps if I'd gone to a “better” school I would've reached it sooner. It is a common cognitive bias to think the most pertinent works are the ones you last read, but in this case I think there's more than just convenience at play. I won't talk about “cheerleaders,” except to say I thought of them too. What I really want to mention is the idea that there are different Americas and different realities and those all interact with who you are and how you feel. Now, I'm not saying I wouldn't have had some appreciation of the truth of this idea had I not gone to Monte Vista, but I am saying I do have an appreciation for the truth of this idea, and I did go to Monte Vista.

That's a simple idea, and it's a gray one. And I applaud you, Ms. Walker, for not understanding it.

A little about me: I went to Monte Vista. My mom is Mexican. My dad is white. I am very, very white in complexion, and partially Mexican in identification. I did not hide at Monte Vista. I played on a varsity basketball team with the highest cumulative GPA in the league. In fact, it was very close to being the highest GPA in the state for men's varsity basketball squads. I got into a good college, and graduated in 4 years (despite my damnedest efforts to squander the opportunity).

I grew up in a good house. I've gotten in a fair bit of trouble. I've gotten in to trouble with black kids and Mexicans, but mostly white
kids. I've gotten into trouble with rich kids and poor kids, but mostly rich kids. I've gotten into trouble in an ever changing context of peers and circumstance. I think I did a better job finding trouble, than trouble did of finding me. And I think I would have found it anywhere.

I was going to post this anonymously, but that seems wrong. There are a lot of “Peck's” out there, though, and I must stress the opinions above are solely my own, and should under no circumstance be taken to represent those of any other Peck.

With everybody doing so well at MV, why is the attendance of hypothetical racist families so important to Mr. Wilson?

The "lost" staff question goes unanswered. The closest answer is a teacher who was transferred. Everyone else seems to agree that Mr Wilson is the best teacher ever and the school is just fine. Go figure.

I do not know what trumps playing the race card. Now that Mr Wilson has folded that losing hand, I am sure we will find out.

With your pattern of comments you're probably going to find something small and insignificant about what I'm writing now to attack which is why some are reluctant to comment, especially when those items are off-topic.

The "lost" staff question goes unanswered because it would be exhausting trying to explain it to you since you obviously do not have a background in the education system. I'm drawing this conclusion because after over a hundred comments, you still do not understand the point of the article.

Yes, everyone is doing well at Monte Vista however it took a controversial article with a long comment thread for the community to see it. That's the problem and that is what the article addresses.

It was politely suggested earlier that you read up on the education system and how school's are funded. Much like the culture at Monte Vista, people should really do their homework before forming opinions and/or commenting on articles.

I know what trumps the race card - ignorance.

Since we love hypothetical questions here is one:

Mount Miguel's enrollment is down and needs to be increased. Would it be a wise decision for a Mount Miguel teacher to put an article in Union Tribune as follows,"Lemon Grove parents don't want to send their kids to Mount Miguel because of the poor kids in Spring Valley. FACT. Mount Miguel has an awesome AP program. We are sending kids to 4 year schools throughout the USA. Come give us a chance!"

Another one.

El Capitan's enrollment is down and needs to be increased. Would it be a wise decision for an El Cap teacher to put an article on signonsandiego.com as follows,"Blossom Valley parents don't want to send their kids to El Capitan because of the poor kids in Lakeside. FACT. El Capitan has an awesome AP program. We are sending kids to 4 year schools throughout the USA. Come give us a chance!"

Another one.

El Cajon's enrollment is down and needs to be increased. Would it be a wise decision for an El Cajon Valley High teacher to go NBC news with the following,"Fletcher Hills parents don't want to send their kids to El Cajon Valley High because of the poor kids and minorities at our school. FACT. ECVHS has an awesome AP program and we are sending kids to universities throughout the USA. Come give us a chance!"

Another one.

Monte Vista's enrollment is down and needs to be increased. It would be wise for students to come here and for their parents (or whoever it may concern) to not judge this school about their racial conflicts or their 'thoughts'.
It would be wise for individuals instead to not oveturn this school and give it a chance.
It would be wise to stop being racist yourself.
It would be wise to stop judging our school, if you havent stepped ONE foot onto the campus.
It would be wise, if you'd stop being negative.
It would be wise if you stop comparing our school to other schools.
& if other schools, had issues with their attendance and what nots, then THAT SCHOOL WILL COME OUT AND SAY IT.
Mr. Wilson, STEPPED UP AND SPOKE OUT FOR OUR SCHOOL.
Therefore, HE IS WISE, for all that he's done.
& By the way, I was being honest.
Thank You.

Again, gossip, rumor, and arguments seem to be what you want. Not change. Interesting. If each of you wrote to the Board of GUHSD you could really be heard, but instead you prefer this back and forth doesn't help the matter. Do you even remember what the topic was?

As a parent of a future Monte Vista student, I would like to thank the Monte Vista students for their statements. However, for those "adults" who are saying negative things about Monte Vista students, I would like to say "SHAME on YOU". These are still young adults that you are demeaning.

I will not address the ignorant comments that have been made about this article. Mr. Wilson has only put into print what MANY parents have heard from other parents when Monte Vista is the topic of discussion: "I don't want my child with those type of people", etc. Even though those parents may not believe that they are racist, choosing a school based on the demographics of the students IS bigoted. Tell me you don't want your kid to go to a certain school because of a lack of programs, the test scores, or even because the football is lousy -- FINE, send your kid somewhere else. But when you SAY that you don't want them with a certain color/race/economic status, then you are a RACIST, just admit it.

By the way, Monte Vista has AP classes, Honors, technical training programs, and many other wonderful advantages for their students. For the person who keeps stating that Monte Vista should have programs for students that will not go on to college, PLEASE do your research; Monte Vista does have these types of programs.

All high schools in our district have problems: racism, pregnancy, drugs, and gangs. Don't try to say Monte Vista is the only one.

The comments are dying, and I think Mr. Wilson may recall I possess the sort of callow stubbornness that seeks out the last word. He may also recall I am long-winded, and as wise as I am brief. But, I really can't suffer this idea that he ought to be reprimanded by the superintendent for employing a common rhetorical technique that really, when considered, seems quite fitting for the situation.

The whole point is that the facts can't take center stage, and we ought to ask why. It is not without reason that I applaud Ms. Walker. You have to understand, I really do admire her in some sense; she displays a level of intellectual integrity, at least. Oh sure, she may seem like a straw man, but is she really? Sure, we say we all “know” we like diversity, but do we really?

I am reminded of D.F Wallace's famous commencement speech (I promise this is the last allusion; Nobody likes “that guy”). I'm not thinking of it because it's wholly relevant, but for its peripheral wisdom. In it he speaks of the importance of the cliché. He says, “the fact is that in the day to day trenches of adult existence, banal platitudes can have a life or death importance.” This seems applicable. It's well and good to say “Everybody agrees with diversity!,” but the simple truth is this is easier to accept in the abstract than it is to act upon in practical terms.

If we all know diversity is great, and by that I mean diversity in the educational sense—the collection of cultures, belief templates, and life experiences that facilitate some sort of global, cognizant understanding—then why would parents using Monte Vista facilities for Steele Canyon swim practice say, “it is so convenient to practice so close to home,” but refuse to think of actually going to school so close to home?

Parents don't like gambling with their child's education, so they use the information available to them to decide where to send their children. It has been posited that their information is either incorrect—or, as I believe, innocently ignored.

Monte Vista is structurally comparable to any other school. As a result, we should expect enrollment to be determined almost wholly by housing location. This is Mr. Wilson's primary position, and it is valid. [ I wont defend this. Others have done so more proficiently, more exhaustively, and more tastefully than I ever could have.]

This is not true, so we ask: why do students end up taking the long way to school each day? What is the operative variable? It's characteristic. If the structure of the school—the campus, the faculty, the programs, and location—are not the cause of choice, then we are forced to decide it is the demographics of the current student body that deters prospective students (Mr. Wilson's secondary premise—the part you seemingly object stylistically more than substantially.).

But let's not call it race—or even socioeconomic status, for this is true: very few parents will look at “35% Hispanic” and say, “too high.” Nor would we expect them to say generally, “well, the per capita income of families of MVHS is just not what we expect for Billy.” But they do develop opinions based on perception and “feeling.” Driving by the parking lot after school, eating at JnB when the Monarchs feast, etc (as Cody mentioned, among other great points).

People react not so much to the color of this as the visceral sense of otherness, the alien nature of the idea of Monte Vista. This then festers and mutates, not consciously or maliciously, but subtly and slowly, in all the inconspicuous ways that maxims wither and die. Finally it's spread, passed around as what-I've-heard; it becomes that lofty and dreadful creature—public opinion. Mothers hear it from friends at cocktail parties, and when their child hits 8th grade they assert it confidently, without knowing precisely whence it came: “Monte Vista just isn't a very good school.”

And sir, I beg of you not to think that we accuse of racism those parents who ship their students in white flight. What I suggest exists is much more pernicious than that. It is is the cognitive dissonance that allows parents to laud diversity while shipping their children down the freeway for an education available to them down their street, an education that would carry the added benefit of a diverse population.

So when I say diversity is not just a “good thing,” that it is a Good Thing, no bull, I mean it. I don't mean it esoterically or superficially; I mean it commercially. I mean to advertise Monte Vista as a diverse community, and I mean for that carry the amount of value we condescendingly suggest it does when we say everybody knows diversity is a good thing. I mean to attack the public opinion that hurt the schools enrollment far more than any statistic. I mean to remind people that public opinion is often wrong, common knowledge often forgotten. Diversity is a Good Thing.

As for why Monte Vista should want these students. Of course good teachers want to teach good students. Of course Monte Vista has great students now and always will, but if a parent is conscientious enough to read this, then their child is most likely an intelligent, thoughtful kid. Of course teachers like the idea of teaching that type of kid. We ought also remember diversity is avaricious; the middle class white are just as coveted and valuable as any other student when observed from the view of the community. We must ask ourselves, when we deprive the community of a representative student body, when we take away exposure at precisely the moment we are teaching the foundations of true scholastic perspective, how do we effect the student's mind/soul/entity/whatever? And at what cost to the greater community? Diversity is truly a Good Thing, we ought to do more than know it.

Thank you Monte Vista and UT San Diego for writing a nice, positive article about Monte Vista.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/mar/07/monte-vista-takes-pride-in-accomplishments/