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ESHS Makes The Cut!
By Joshua Newsom, Editor
On Thursday, March 15 our school was reviewed by a committee to
determine whether we would receive the accolade of being a
California Distinguished School. A school receiving this epithet
means that it exemplifies quality and exceptional educational
programs. Only 32 out of 500 high schools and middle schools who
submitted an application in the Los Angeles area were even visited.
The purpose of the whole evaluation was to validate the written
report by extrapolating statements from parents, students, faculty,
staff and administrators.
The day started off with the entire faculty meeting in
the library to receive introductions from the visiting team. The
committee briefly explained how they are just there to observe and
not to interrupt the classes. Also, they are only there to recommend
the school not credit them.
Throughout the rest of the day the visiting team met
with many different groups. They conducted discussion groups with
the authors of the applications, school site council, leadership
team, students, parents and the school board. Most of the questions
were typically, "What makes El Segundo so special?", "How do the
student and faculty members really step up?", and "What keeps you
coming back everyday?" The respondents had an overall theme that
tied everyone together: family. The majority of the staff, parents,
students and teachers felt at home at El Segundo High School. They
enjoy coming each day and taking part in numerous activities.
The response from all brought real evidence to support
why our school is so extraordinary. The faculty pointed out the
support from not only other teachers but from the administrators,
parents, staff and student body. Students talked about how
passionate the teachers are about their students and how they try to
bring the best out of them. Also, they brought up that the whole
school works together in many different activities. The staff
members stated that the community really gets involved in school
functions. When asked why they keep coming back to they keep coming
back to the school everyday they all agreed it was because of how
respectful and amazing the students are. Parents, who were the last
group to speak, told the committee that they overall never felt
neglected or ignored by the school and received support for all
types of activities their children were involved in.
The committee also toured the school and classrooms.
Every classroom was visited by at least one committee member during
the day. They were very impressed with the beauty of the school and
how modern it was. But they were even more impressed with the
overall quality of learning and teaching in the school. The
excellence in the classroom did not fade from teacher to teacher but
was consistently seen throughout the entire school.
The whole visit was an overall success. The visiting
team believed the school was exceptional because the students were
the main focus and was the center of all that goes on in school.
They also felt an overall pride and commitment towards the school.
Students got a chance to be successful and involved in the school.
The fact that there is a mutual respect for everyone, successful
learning programs, and proactive interventions was factored into
their decision. The actual decision is still in process. The
visiting team has recommended to the county that we receive the
Distinguished School Award. And the county will make a
recommendation to the state organization. But judging by the
visiting team’s response, El Segundo will soon be a California
Distinguish School.
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