EDITORIAL: DO WE DARE TO DREAM?

By Megan Werland, Alpine High School Citizens Committee (AHSCC) Curriculum Sub-Committee Chairperson

une 1, 2009 (Alpine)--Today, at my son’s school, I mentioned to a friend that I was on the Alpine High School Citizens Committee. She chuckled and asked, “Are we really going to get a high school?” I wish I could give her a definitive answer and say, yes, we are definitely getting our high school, but the fact is, we are still waiting on some key decisions by the Grossmont Union board to make this Alpine dream a reality. The sad fact is that most people I talk to about an Alpine high school simply don’t dare to dream that they will one day have a high school in their back yard much less a high school they can be proud of. Because we live in a small town, Alpine residents are accustomed to “going down the hill” for many of our services. Now that we have passed the school board bonds, Prop U and Prop H, we have a rare opportunity to finally dream. And let’s dream BIG, Alpine!

We can have a school that is not only conveniently located near our homes, but we can also have a state of the art school that academically challenges our kids, gives them opportunities to learn in new ways, provides them with a chance to exit high school with real-world training for jobs, and makes them competitive locally and globally. I know it defies logic to think that people would drive up the hill to attend a school in Alpine, but this scenario is just within our reach. Keep the dream alive, Alpine. Attend our monthly informational AHSCC meetings or come to one of our work group meetings. I serve on the Curriculum Work Group, a sub-committee of the AHSCC, and in our meetings we tackle questions like how do students best learn, what can we do to forge partnerships with local community colleges and universities, what kind of math and science offerings will help give our kids a technical edge, how can the arts complement core curriculum and inspire kids to express themselves, how can students get courses on-line that are not offered on campus, and more. You don’t have to have any experience in education to give input. We appreciate having people from all walks of life be a part of our “dreaming” and planning. So, for those of you who wonder, “Are we really going to get a high school?” feel free to change that question to “What kind of high school are we going to get?” And if you’re really inspired, come join us and be a part of the process. Please visit the AHSCC website at http://www.AHSCC.com . The editorial above reflects the views of its author and does not necessarily reflect the views of East County Magazine. If you wish to submit an editorial for consideration, contact editor@eastcountymagazine.org.