I’m a senior and class-president at the much-maligned Jackson High School in Mill Creek. The article in the May 28th issue of the Herald has obviously caused much discussion amongst the seniors here (“51 left out of graduation”).
Let me set the matter straight. The fact is, these standards and requirements have been in place at Jackson since last year. The class of 2002 had little trouble meeting the standards that the class of 2003 seems to be struggling with. In fact, the standards have been loosened if anything this year. How can anyone accuse the teachers of “a failure in teaching” when this same curriculum and methodology has already shown itself to work in the past? And, despite the so-called “academic hazing” that goes on daily at Jackson, 300 of us seniors have managed to graduate nonetheless.
The teachers have gone to extraordinary lengths to make sure as many students as possible would have the opportunity to graduate with the vast majority of the class. The humanities department even developed a “mercy portfolio” assignment that allowed students to write a single paper in place of four papers that were due earlier. The proverbial “olive branch” was extended, but these 51 students chose not to take it.
There have been so many warnings, so many notices, so many second chances. I am tired of hearing parents and students fabricating scapegoats for their own laziness and refusal to exert true effort. I’m proud to say that graduation at Jackson High School is not a right; it’s a choice. A choice that 300 of us made, and 51 of us didn’t.
Mill Creek
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