Who should get in to PCS in Santa Cruz? NO to the children of public school teachers!

A lottery was used to select which students get in to PCC in Santa Cruz, CA — one of the best schools in the nation.

Which students should be denied? Those teachers who collectively through their unions have made the mess public schools are in should be denied access of thier children to PCC.

Pacific Collegiate School sees jump in applications; lottery sees joy, sadness
By Megha Satyanarayana
Posted: 02/19/2010 01:30:55 AM PST

“Pacific Collegiate School, considered one of the best schools in the nation, saw a jump in applications this year for its annual lottery, which was held Thursday night.

“A small group of hopeful parents and children gathered at the school’s library, awaiting the results of a computer-generated lottery for the 40 open seventh-grade slots.

They quickly surrounded a bulletin board with a printout of the results. There were a few lips pursed in disappointment, and a few fists raised in joy.

“We’re very excited. We’ve been praying all day,” said Tracy Butts of Aptos, whose son Jacob Sawley, 11, won a spot. The school requires every family to put in 40 hours of service at the school and requests an annual $3,000 donation per child.

Eric Peterson, who lives close to the Westside school, hoped his daughter Isabella, who goes to Tierra Pacifica Charter School would get in, so she could bike to school. Things didn’t go as planned.

“I’m 197 on the waiting list, I think,” he said. There were about 250 applications alone for the seventh grade.
There were 547 applicants in all. All applicants for grades 8-12 were automatically placed on waiting lists. There are 480 students at the school.

Principal Archie Douglas, in his first year at the school, urged the parent pool not to worry if their number wasn’t called.

“We know there is going to be attrition, but what we don’t know is how many. It’s not the final word,”

he said. “There are a lot of good options in this county. If you stay engaged in your child’s education, they will, too.”

For many students, the decision to go to PCS isn’t easy, regardless of getting in. Mikaela Aguilar, 16, now a junior at Santa Cruz High School, left after her first week in seventh grade. She missed her friends. Mother Leslie Goodfriend, who thought the school would challenge her daughter, wanted her to stay, but decided to grant her wish.

“Her going to PCS was not going to determine whether she was going to succeed or not,” Goodfriend said. Mikaela is now looking at colleges, both in and out of state.

For some parents, the choices seem less enticing. Deirdre Heavey, whose son Jack is at Happy Valley Elementary School, is now working on a plan B. They were wait-listed.

“The idea I get from them,” she said of PCS, “is that they’ll push him harder.” She said she’s unsure his local middle school will do the same.

Santa Cruz City Schools, from which many PCS students come and go, is working to match the rigor of PCS’ programs — students have to pass five Advanced Placement classes to graduate.

“We believe we are strong competition for those programs,” Superintendent Gary Bloom said.

Some parents, and students, agree.

Jeanne Sofen of Santa Cruz tried to get her daughter Rosie, 16, into PCS three times, in seventh, eighth and ninth grade. The junior at Santa Cruz High School is in elite Math Academy. It was tough at first, said Sofen, because her daughter’s two close friends were at PCS. But in retrospect, she said, “I think it’s really important for kids to be among a mixture of backgrounds.”

PCS is nearly 80 percent white and has few economically disadvantaged students. According to the U.S. Census, Santa Cruz County is about 75 percent white, and about 12 percent of families live in poverty. However, roughly half of the county’s student population is Latino.

Holly Borg, another Santa Cruz High School student, saw a different kind of homogeneity during her short tenure at PCS last fall. She was a bright star in a field of bright stars.

“Everyone’s kind of the same there. There’s no room for me to shine,” she said. “I can go to Santa Cruz High School and look just as good as at PCS.”

Every student at PCS goes onto college, and the list contains Ivy League schools, high-caliber liberal arts schools and schools in the University of California system.

But while PCS may not be for every student, Sofen echoed Douglas’ statement to the mass of parents and said it’s best to put the whole thing in perspective.

“At least you have choices. There’s a lot of talent at our schools,” she said.

By the Numbers
Applications are
rising at PCS
2008-2009: 432 applications for grades 7-12; 46 slots in seventh grade
2009-2010: 430 applications for grades 7-12; 51 slots in seventh grade
2010-2011: 547 applications for grades 7-12; 40 slots in seventh grade
Print Email Font ResizeReturn to Top

——————————————————————————–
COMMENTS: Please use your real name to increase your comment’s credibility. Please help us monitor this conversation by flagging hate speech, off-topic comments, vulgarity and comments that in any way advocate violence. Terms of service
Read all 127 comments »