Students
crave 'communication'
Cave Creek district administrators hear input at Cactus Shadows
Student Forum
by Jason
Stone
CCUSD - With "rumors" spreading like wildfire at Cactus
Shadows High School, students had the opportunity to get some things
off their chests April 3.
Feeling their voices were previously going unheard, CSHS students
spoke their minds during a Student Forum at the campus Media Center,
telling district administration that it needs to do a better job
of communicating with students and parents-and needs to hire better
teachers, as well.
With campus unrest still simmering after the controversial resignations
of two school administrators last month, CSHS Student Body President
Steven O'Connor and Cave Creek Unified School District officials
organized the forum to give students a chance to present their views
on how to improve the way school administration does business.
The word "rumors" was brought up numerous times as being
a problem on campus, mostly in reference to the circumstances surrounding
the resignation of administrators Clay Carpenter and Pete Gerlach.
Some students claimed the administrators were fired, not quitting
on their own accord, and staged a mini protest on campus March 8,
the night after the resignations were accepted at the CCUSD governing
board meeting.
"The students were never really given an answer," said
O'Connor, who added the resignations sparked the students organizing
to protest. "We were just wondering why all these people were
resigning. And some people were starting to wonder, 'What's going
to happen to me? What's next?'"
Students said at the forum that they feel left out of the decision
making process at the school and that the district gives them little
information they can use.
"They tell you stuff, but nothing useful," said one student.
"If you go to their Web site, it has a big thing that says
'Spring Break.' Like who didn't know that?"
About 60 students, mostly juniors and seniors, broke up into individual
focus groups to give their views on everything from curriculum to
communication problems. They said classmates are happy with the
school programs offered, but are not terribly thrilled with the
quality of teachers.
"Some of them have no business being teachers here," one
student said in a focus group led by Desert Sun Elementary Principal
Nancy Shaver.
Students also complained about overcrowding at the high school,
which could be relieved next year when the new Flex School will
allow Sonoran Trails Middle School to move, providing more space
for CSHS classrooms.
The Student Forum comes on the heals of a Focus on Education Forum
held by CCUSD March 11, but only three students attended. O'Connor
said he felt students were deliberately left out of the process,
so Superintendent Tacy Ashby agreed to the student session.
"We were hoping to have students as part of that forum,"
Ashby said. " We were disappointed because we wanted to hear
their input in front of adults. I'm really impressed with the (Student
Forum) turnout."
Although eighth graders were invited, none showed up. Only two freshmen
and five sophomores attended, which surprised Governing Board President
Javier Ledesma, who said he thought the forum would most directly
affect the younger students who will be at CSHS longer.
"I am impressed at all the seniors that are here," Ledesma
told the crowd. "The seniors could be blowing it off, saying
'I'm out of here, I'm done.' But they're not."
Ashby said CCUD administration will review the feedback from students,
which was recorded in each focus group. The district will then host
a luncheon with students and the community to discuss the next step.
"We need your creativity on how we can fix things," Ledesma
told students. |
