Comments on: Board To Discuss $42 Million Proposal for Central http://www.ourrapidcityschools.org/2009/07/08/board-to-discuss-42-million-proposal-for-central/ Building a consensus for excellence in education Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:24:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: jodysev http://www.ourrapidcityschools.org/2009/07/08/board-to-discuss-42-million-proposal-for-central/comment-page-1/#comment-13 jodysev Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:39:43 +0000 http://www.ourrapidcityschools.org/?p=492#comment-13 Three cheers for the board members who think we should take a look at a third high school, especially now that we are in this price range. I urge them to think not only in terms of a third building but also in terms of a third approach that creates a "niche" high school excelling in a narrower mission rather than another "one size fits all" all-American we-got-everything cookie cutter. Maybe it is aimed at college prep for kids who have the smarts to do college but not the background or family support and tradition to make it happen. Maybe it is aimed at taking the best and brightest and launching them to excel at a new and higher, nationally competitive level, like taking kids who if left to the status quo system would get into,say, the University of Minnesota and instead let's get them into Princeton. Maybe it's an arts and science school that doesn't need a football team. (A science high school downwind from the Homestake lab and next to Tech -- there's an idea~!!) Lots of possibilities out there to consider! If we expand Central to hold 2,000 kids it will soon have 2,500. Time for a different approach, and time to offer kids and their parents some meaningful choices. Jody Three cheers for the board members who think we should take a look at a third high school, especially now that we are in this price range.

I urge them to think not only in terms of a third building but also in terms of a third approach that creates a “niche” high school excelling in a narrower mission rather than another “one size fits all” all-American we-got-everything cookie cutter.

Maybe it is aimed at college prep for kids who have the smarts to do college but not the background or family support and tradition to make it happen. Maybe it is aimed at taking the best and brightest and launching them to excel at a new and higher, nationally competitive level, like taking kids who if left to the status quo system would get into,say, the University of Minnesota and instead let’s get them into Princeton. Maybe it’s an arts and science school that doesn’t need a football team. (A science high school downwind from the Homestake lab and next to Tech — there’s an idea~!!) Lots of possibilities out there to consider!

If we expand Central to hold 2,000 kids it will soon have 2,500. Time for a different approach, and time to offer kids and their parents some meaningful choices.

Jody

]]>