Onnika Hallam

The future of CRCSD remains uncertain as the community awaits voting results of the proposed new school model.

Kennedy High School has been well-known for academic and athletic success, but is threatened to be eliminated. Why? For being the smallest school? For being the oldest? And what would happen if they decided on 1,800 middle school students there?

What is not presented in this model is exactly how Kennedy would hold more students than it already does.  During passing time, the hallways are clogged, and during assemblies, the gym is packed. The two high school models proposed by the district would eliminate Kennedy and shuffle the 2027-2028 high schoolers into the two remaining 9-12 schools, Jefferson and Washington. This would be solving one situation, but how many kids can they safely put in every school before it becomes unsafe for everyone in a multitude of ways?

A sense of community and school spirit would be lost in the midst of each of these models, and that’s regardless of how much money the district can save.

The 5th through 8th grade model is one of the three options, which will bring 5th grade closer to middle school concepts. The idea that 8th graders will take on a bigger role of leadership in the schools, however, this plan could likely backfire. 5th and 6th-graders are still younger kids, meaning that they are still impressionable. The age range in the 5th- to 8th-grade model is vastly different, and so is the maturity level, which is concerning to parents within the district. 

The intermediate model in the view of a high schooler is the best option, with 5th and 6th grade students being taught in the same school, and the same with 7th and 8th. This gives students chances to be leaders more consistently in the way people hoped the 5-8 model would represent. As stated above, this splits the age range better on many different standards, some that maybe the board hasn’t taken into consideration. Focusing on the more refined details, an important note would be sports and advanced classes. 

6th graders have always been unable to participate in sports, so chasing the intermediate model would be best for their livelihood. Similarly, 5th and 6th graders have the closest maturity level, as well as 7th and 8th. 

As a student who was fed from Taft Middle School into Kennedy, I find the idea of the feeding pattern being clearer is relieving, as a majority of my middle school friends do not reside at Kennedy with me. That being said, the entire way the schools are mapped out should not have to be destroyed. 

Controversy has clouded people’s vision over the past week. Saving money and consolidating schools is the main focus of this project. However, when you look deeper, you see that the two high school proposal is not good for students, the community, or the district. It could create an unsafe and unfair environment where parents would not want to send their children to learn every day. 

The 5th through 8th-grade model would diminish students’ sense of leadership altogether. There’s no telling how chaotic and messy the education of those students could get. Not to mention the number of teachers that would be required to shift their teaching focus or leave the district because of their position being eliminated. The intermediate model is the best option to fulfill the latest number of people’s needs while still keeping to the plan of consolidating all ranges of schools. The two-high-school model may pull apart the district in more ways than the board realizes, especially relating to the relocation of the limited number of teachers that this district has.