Change of Plans

[slt]

www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/opinions/valleyviews/776305,2_5_AU05_VVTATAR_S1.article#

New high school site a bittersweet choice

February 5, 2008

Changes that appear to be wonderful can still come with a sense of loss and grief.

My family learned this eight years ago when we moved to a new house. Instead of being happy we had more space, we faced months of grief over the loss of our old house, friends, neighbors and school. Now that many new friends, neighbors and schools have become part of our lives it would be hard for any of us to want to go back and undo that move.

We recently found out that we'll be facing another big change. This one was not by choice. When I worked to pass the Indian Prairie referendum to build a third high school, it was with the expectation that this school would be built at the Brach-Brodie location on 75th Street west of Route 59. The impact on our family would be minimal as we would not be changing schools.

My family is a Warrior family. We've lived in the Waubonsie attendance area since before our oldest started kindergarten and before our younger two were even born. We have attended events at Waubonsie for several years now. My oldest daughter will graduate from WV this spring and her sister will do the same in two years. My son is halfway through Granger and fully expected that he and all the others at Granger would be attending Waubonsie together. We love Waubonsie.

When the jury price for Brach-Brodie came in much higher than anticipated, I hoped the district would still find a way to buy the land, as I believed this to be the best possible site. This did not happen.

The district last month announced the administration's recommendation for the new site for Metea Valley High School along with information about the other sites considered and the advantages and disadvantages of each. I had heard rumors to this effect but was still surprised to find out the chosen site was the St. John African Methodist Episcopalian land on Eola Road just a mile from my house.

That afternoon as I drove my son home from Student Council I told him that he might be attending a brand new high school starting in ninth grade. His immediate reaction was negative. He was happy to be headed to Waubonsie, why would he want to attend a different school? He hoped all of Granger would be going with him to the new school. This doesn't seem likely since some of Granger attendance areas can walk to Waubonsie. He felt his plans had been changed midstream and didn't know what to make of it.

It didn't help that on that first day I was lamenting the loss of an established school with excellent programs. I was not happy about the need to start up a brand new school with new everything. There will be no experienced juniors and seniors to lead the clubs, no varsity sports the first year, no Grammy-winning music program, a brand new PTA. I wondered whether we will still have district-provided transportation. I wondered how others in the district will be impacted by the new boundaries.

We have opened new buildings before and would rather not do it again.

The first days were all about grief, but slowly shifted to acceptance. I adjusted my outlook. The new school is close and it will be much easier to get my younger children to and from extra-curricular activities, performances and games than it has been with the older two. My son and his classmates will get the chance to help shape the school from the beginning. The school will have the same excellent curriculum that is taught in Waubonsie and Neuqua. My son will experience being in a high school of fewer than 1,500 students that first year rather than a building overflowing with more than 3,500. The students in this smaller school will have vastly more opportunities for leadership and leading roles in all of the clubs and performing groups.

This school will be created from Warrior families, just as Neuqua was a mere 10 years ago. Metea will be great from the very start.

[e-mail]

[jwh]

Great note!

[WeBe204]

slt said:

The new school is close and it will be much easier to get my younger children to and from extra-curricular activities, performances and games than it has been with the older two.

Yes, a good note that was thoughtfully written. Although, I am just going to point out the sentance that will probably start the ball rolling down hill.

[sleeplessinnpvl]

OK, this is a nice letter. Reminds me that the unhappy people are not just on the SW side. I wish everyone could be as gracious about change as sherry is. She is not happy (how many of us are really happy about this change?) yet she is focusing on being optimistic for her children. This change is going to affect all of our children-whether they are staying in their current school or not, as they all will be losing friends along the way somewhere.

When I moved here 8 years ago, I too wanted an area where I thought my children could grow up and attend the same schools that currently serviced my area from Kindergarten through HS. Our family does not work for a company that transfers their employees so we planned on being here forever. Now, my children could be redistricted anywhere from the ES level to the HS level and my sense of security has been breached. The school district is now the big bad "employer" who is relocating its "employees" to different areas. And just like in relocation, people either accept it and tell their children things will be OK, or they get out of the company so they don't have to move. The way I look at it, we are all unwilling "employees" being transferred around the district. We can either accept the move, even if we don't like it, and make it a positive experience for our children, or we can protest the move by moving out of the district or to a different place within the district. None of us signed an agreement with the district that guaranteed our kids would stay whereever we wanted them to stay. We basically have all the hardships of relocation (kids in different schools and a change in comfort level) with none of the added salary increase that comes along with a corporate transfer!

[Arch]

A nice perspective, well written.

[doctorwho]

slt said:

www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/opinions/valleyviews/776305,2_5_AU05_VVTATAR_S1.article#

New high school site a bittersweet choice

February 5, 2008

Changes that appear to be wonderful can still come with a sense of loss and grief.

My family learned this eight years ago when we moved to a new house. Instead of being happy we had more space, we faced months of grief over the loss of our old house, friends, neighbors and school. Now that many new friends, neighbors and schools have become part of our lives it would be hard for any of us to want to go back and undo that move.

We recently found out that we'll be facing another big change. This one was not by choice. When I worked to pass the Indian Prairie referendum to build a third high school, it was with the expectation that this school would be built at the Brach-Brodie location on 75th Street west of Route 59. The impact on our family would be minimal as we would not be changing schools.

My family is a Warrior family. We've lived in the Waubonsie attendance area since before our oldest started kindergarten and before our younger two were even born. We have attended events at Waubonsie for several years now. My oldest daughter will graduate from WV this spring and her sister will do the same in two years. My son is halfway through Granger and fully expected that he and all the others at Granger would be attending Waubonsie together. We love Waubonsie.

When the jury price for Brach-Brodie came in much higher than anticipated, I hoped the district would still find a way to buy the land, as I believed this to be the best possible site. This did not happen.

The district last month announced the administration's recommendation for the new site for Metea Valley High School along with information about the other sites considered and the advantages and disadvantages of each. I had heard rumors to this effect but was still surprised to find out the chosen site was the St. John African Methodist Episcopalian land on Eola Road just a mile from my house.

That afternoon as I drove my son home from Student Council I told him that he might be attending a brand new high school starting in ninth grade. His immediate reaction was negative. He was happy to be headed to Waubonsie, why would he want to attend a different school? He hoped all of Granger would be going with him to the new school. This doesn't seem likely since some of Granger attendance areas can walk to Waubonsie. He felt his plans had been changed midstream and didn't know what to make of it.

It didn't help that on that first day I was lamenting the loss of an established school with excellent programs. I was not happy about the need to start up a brand new school with new everything. There will be no experienced juniors and seniors to lead the clubs, no varsity sports the first year, no Grammy-winning music program, a brand new PTA. I wondered whether we will still have district-provided transportation. I wondered how others in the district will be impacted by the new boundaries.

We have opened new buildings before and would rather not do it again.

The first days were all about grief, but slowly shifted to acceptance. I adjusted my outlook. The new school is close and it will be much easier to get my younger children to and from extra-curricular activities, performances and games than it has been with the older two. My son and his classmates will get the chance to help shape the school from the beginning. The school will have the same excellent curriculum that is taught in Waubonsie and Neuqua. My son will experience being in a high school of fewer than 1,500 students that first year rather than a building overflowing with more than 3,500. The students in this smaller school will have vastly more opportunities for leadership and leading roles in all of the clubs and performing groups.

This school will be created from Warrior families, just as Neuqua was a mere 10 years ago. Metea will be great from the very start.

[e-mail]

Well written and thought out as everything Sherry submits is -

All the sentiments are real- and for me I agree with all of them- and if I lived closer to MV like she does I could agree with all of it 100% - the caveat difference for 1/2 the school however is, the school will not be close - in fact will be 2 - 3 times the distance on the bus than other schools- makes it a lot harder to be accepting.

The problem is we get all the valid issues she raises -- but we do not get the parts highlighted in RED above -- it will be much harder to get kids to and from eerything, how much harder to get to 4:30 events when they are halfway across the district for parents working, other than stay at home parents - who will be able to volunteer for these events? it is 8 times the distance from my house than hers


I agree on all the other sentiments - but I do not see any positive for my area -

[justvote]

doctorwho said:

slt said:

www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/opinions/valleyviews/776305,2_5_AU05_VVTATAR_S1.article#

My son and his classmates will get the chance to help shape the school from the beginning. The school will have the same excellent curriculum that is taught in Waubonsie and Neuqua. My son will experience being in a high school of fewer than 1,500 students that first year rather than a building overflowing with more than 3,500. The students in this smaller school will have vastly more opportunities for leadership and leading roles in all of the clubs and performing groups.

This school will be created from Warrior families, just as Neuqua was a mere 10 years ago. Metea will be great from the very start.

[e-mail]

I agree on all the other sentiments - but I do not see any positive for my area -

On the contrary, I think she hilighted some very nice positives for your area (and all areas assigned to MV)

[doctorwho]

justvote said:

doctorwho said:

I agree on all the other sentiments - but I do not see any positive for my area -

On the contrary, I think she hilighted some very nice positives for your area (and all areas assigned to MV)

Maybe you'd like to lay those out for me:

I am not impressed with a shiny new school like some appear to be, our area didn't whine when we didn't get to go to NV like some did
I see no varsity sports sophomore year
I see opening without a gym and auditorium ( and who knows what else)
I see leaving an award winning music program - and for those kids who move soph year- will they see that again before their time is up ?

I see my kid spending 1 1/2 hours a day ( on a good day ) on a bus -- is yours ? How far is the school from you ? Or will you even attend MV ?

I see our 16-18 year olds driving the longest distances in the district over many hazards to get there 200 times a year

I see working parents in my area not being able to get to 4:30 sporting events ( heck 5:30 is going to be almost impossible) because the school is all the way across town

I see having to travel away from possibly all my land neighbors to go there



So just where are all those gems we are going to benefit from ?


Please list your area so we can compare the pro's and con's -- it is not a deal anyone would make - sorry, Put them on a balance sheet and tell me what a great deal this is for MW.

[justvote]

Doctorwho,

One thing I noticed about your post is that every single sentence began with the word "I'. You made the statement that there are no positivies for your area. What you she should have said is that there are no positivies for ME.

Our area was originally slated to go to BB in almost every scenario. The positives that she outlines are the exact positives that I embraced at the time, even though the vast vast majority of my area was very upset at the prospect of leaving NV.

Would I want to be in your situation? No. Do I sympathize with you? Absolutely. Does EVERYONE in your community feel that being assigned to MV is ENTIRELY negative? I doubt it.

[Arch]

justvote said:

Doctorwho,

One thing I noticed about your post is that every single sentence began with the word "I'. You made the statement that there are no positivies for your area. What you she should have said is that there are no positivies for ME.

Our area was originally slated to go to BB in almost every scenario. The positives that she outlines are the exact positives that I embraced at the time, even though the vast vast majority of my area was very upset at the prospect of leaving NV.

Would I want to be in your situation? No. Do I sympathize with you? Absolutely. Does EVERYONE in your community feel that being assigned to MV is ENTIRELY negative? I doubt it.

MY KIDS are not impressed with a shiny new school.
MY KIDS will have no varsity sports sophomore year
MY KIDS will see it opening without a gym and auditorium ( and who knows what else)
MY KIDS will be leaving an award winning music program - and for those kids who move soph year- will they see that again before their time is up ?
MY KIDS will be spending 1 1/2 hours a day ( on a good day ) on a bus -- is yours ? How far is the school from you ? Or will you even attend MV ?

MY KIDS (if they drive) will be driving the longest distances in the district over many hazards to get there 200 times a year

That better?

[justvote]

archwinsome said:

justvote said:

Doctorwho,

One thing I noticed about your post is that every single sentence began with the word "I'. You made the statement that there are no positivies for your area. What you she should have said is that there are no positivies for ME.

Our area was originally slated to go to BB in almost every scenario. The positives that she outlines are the exact positives that I embraced at the time, even though the vast vast majority of my area was very upset at the prospect of leaving NV.

Would I want to be in your situation? No. Do I sympathize with you? Absolutely. Does EVERYONE in your community feel that being assigned to MV is ENTIRELY negative? I doubt it.

MY KIDS are not impressed with a shiny new school.
MY KIDS will have no varsity sports sophomore year
MY KIDS will see it opening without a gym and auditorium ( and who knows what else)
MY KIDS will be leaving an award winning music program - and for those kids who move soph year- will they see that again before their time is up ?
MY KIDS will be spending 1 1/2 hours a day ( on a good day ) on a bus -- is yours ? How far is the school from you ? Or will you even attend MV ?

MY KIDS (if they drive) will be driving the longest distances in the district over many hazards to get there 200 times a year

That better?

Look, Doctorwho made the very broad statement that there are "no positives for my area". I was just pointing out that there is another perspective. I am not trying to negate or diminish the negatives, and I don't appreciate the "tone" of your post.

[Arch]

justvote said:

archwinsome said:

MY KIDS are not impressed with a shiny new school.
MY KIDS will have no varsity sports sophomore year
MY KIDS will see it opening without a gym and auditorium ( and who knows what else)
MY KIDS will be leaving an award winning music program - and for those kids who move soph year- will they see that again before their time is up ?
MY KIDS will be spending 1 1/2 hours a day ( on a good day ) on a bus -- is yours ? How far is the school from you ? Or will you even attend MV ?

MY KIDS (if they drive) will be driving the longest distances in the district over many hazards to get there 200 times a year

That better?

Look, Doctorwho made the very broad statement that there are "no positives for my area". I was just pointing out that there is another perspective. I am not trying to negate or diminish the negatives, and I don't appreciate the "tone" of your post.

You can certainly draw whatever 'tone' you wish from text on a screen. You pointed out the overuse of the word "I". Was that to imply some sort of selfishness on his part or were you simply acknowledging that they were indeed his own perspective and he used the pronoun properly in his post?

[rural]

archwinsome said:

justvote said:

Look, Doctorwho made the very broad statement that there are "no positives for my area". I was just pointing out that there is another perspective. I am not trying to negate or diminish the negatives, and I don't appreciate the "tone" of your post.

You can certainly draw whatever 'tone' you wish from text on a screen. You pointed out the overuse of the word "I". Was that to imply some sort of selfishness on his part or were you simply acknowledging that they were indeed his own perspective and he used the pronoun properly in his post?

As you've pointed out yourself, Arch, you live in an area with no power lines, no gas lines, etc., etc. You also bought your house in a neighborhood with no close high school. Everyone gives something to get something.

[Arch]

rural said:

archwinsome said:

You can certainly draw whatever 'tone' you wish from text on a screen. You pointed out the overuse of the word "I". Was that to imply some sort of selfishness on his part or were you simply acknowledging that they were indeed his own perspective and he used the pronoun properly in his post?

As you've pointed out yourself, Arch, you live in an area with no power lines, no gas lines, etc., etc. You also bought your house in a neighborhood with no close high school. Everyone gives something to get something.

And that statement means what exactly? What's the get/give you are referring to?

[justvote]

archwinsome said:

justvote said:

Look, Doctorwho made the very broad statement that there are "no positives for my area". I was just pointing out that there is another perspective. I am not trying to negate or diminish the negatives, and I don't appreciate the "tone" of your post.

You can certainly draw whatever 'tone' you wish from text on a screen. You pointed out the overuse of the word "I". Was that to imply some sort of selfishness on his part or were you simply acknowledging that they were indeed his own perspective and he used the pronoun properly in his post?

Just to be clear - my post was not to point out any selfishness on Doctorwho's part. He knows that I hold him in high regard. It was to point out that there is another persepective and that some from your area may see the positives that Sherry has asserted.