Monterey alumna recovers yearbook, diploma

It was her good deed of the year. Monterey High Principal Marcie Plummer delivered Kathleen MacNeill a duplicate high school diploma and a copy of her yearbook, which MacNeill lost in a fire in 1989.

MacNeill, who now lives at The Ridge Rehabilitation Center in Salinas, called Monterey High asking to see about getting a copy of ther yearbook for her senior year. MacNeill was class of 1965 and is hoping to attend the high school reunion -- if one's being planned.

"She contacted us to see if we had a yearbook," said Monterey High Principal Marcie Plummer. "Through conversation we learned that both her yearbook and diploma were lost in the fire years ago."

And now she has them back.

Monterey High senior lands third place in national essay contest

Cathy Hsu, a senior at Monterey High, is the third prize winner of a national essay contest sponsored by the Religious Liberty Council of the Washington, D.C.-based Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty.

The topic for the 2014 Religious Liberty Essay Scholarship Contest asked students to discuss whether or not religious messages, such as Bible verses on “run-through” banners at football games, should be permitted at public school-sponsored events.

More than 630 students from 48 states and the District of Columbia entered the contest, as well as students from China and Albania.

Hsu received a $250 scholarship for her essay, “Christianity in Cheerleading: The Role of the First Amendment in Public Schools.”

She wrote that “... to exploit the cheerleading squad, a school-sponsored activity, as an outlet in promoting Christian messages would position the school into appearing to endorse religion, an obvious transgression of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause.”

 Hsu plans to study political science in college. She is the daughter of Tienhui and Huichu Hsu.

The grand prize winner is Daniel Ingham of Ellicott City, Maryland, who received a $2,000 scholarship. Sienna Li of Portland, Oregon, won a $1,000 scholarship for her second prize essay.

The Religious Liberty Essay Scholarship Contest was established in 2006 to engage high school juniors and seniors in church-state issues. A panel of judges issued scores based on the content of each essay and the author’s writing skills. For more information, click here.

Of children, families, and the future of MAOS

Once upon a time I had a friend who happened to be blind. She was intelligent, funny, and wise beyond her years. When she was around 10 she contracted some sort of infection that destroyed her optic nerve, and could never see again.

I'll call her Linda. Linda had a younger sister that I'll call Rosa. By the time I met them both, Linda and Rosa had a pretty nasty relationship. Linda needed her mother for practically everything, and Rosa resented all the time their mother spent with Linda: taking her and picking her up from school, to after-school events, what not. 

Linda in turn resented Rosa for the monetary support she was getting from their mother. Rosa was entering adulthood and she wanted to go out to dances, wear make up and high heels. Mom was caught in the middle: she gave Linda all the attention she could, and Rosa all the money she could afford, but neither one was happy. Everyone seemed resentful of everyone else.

I began thinking about Linda and her family recently, during one of those long and sometimes strained conversation officials at Monterey Peninsula Unified School District are having about MAOS.

For those of you who don't know the Monterey Academy of Oceanographic Science is a very successful program at Monterey High School. Only accomplished, top performing students get in, and the program graduates the cream of the crop in Monterey High. MAOS students are top athletes, top scholars, participate in the student body, you name it. They're the school's super stars.

And for some reason, some people in the district -- including some trustees -- appear to be resentful of the program. They resent the fact that the program seems to have a dearth of minorities participating, they resent the resources they appear to be receiving or demanding to receive.

What's fascinating is that there appears to be resentment too from MAOS students and other supporters as well. Why should only poor-performing students get resources? Why should they be forced to sit along students who are not there to study but just to kill time?

Yep, that's the gist of what's been discussed in some of those sessions. It gets hurtful at times.

Like the times when I would watch Linda rebel against her mother for giving Rosa money for an eyeliner. Like watching Rosa fuming against her mother for not having dinner ready on time.

Bottom line is, at MPUSD there are not many resources, and they have to be stretched thin for all the students, not just for the ones who're struggling academically, but the top performers.

So what gives? And how do you handle it? Do you tell the top performers 'Sorry, we have no more to give you'? Or do you try to find a way to accommodate them?

One way or another, MPUSD has accommodated MAOS for the past 19 years. It hasn't been easy, it seems, but the relationship is there. And it appears that trustees are trying to find a way to keep MAOS a part of Monterey High.

Tuesday night, trustees gave direction to administrators on hammering out some sort of agreement that will spell out how the district will help MAOS. The areas to be included are facilities, master scheduling and staff. A completed document it's supposed to be approved by trustees in the next few weeks.

I do hope everyone finds a way to work together, for the sake of all the students. I'm sure MAOS students would get the benefit of greater focus if they managed to be completely on their own, but I'm afraid the school at large would lose a lot: it would lose a segment of the population that's inspiring and can serve as a catalyst for change. MAOS students would also lose by not being in touch with the "real world."

Somehow in society we have to find a way to serve everyone's needs, and finding a way to serve MAOS and non-MAOS kids is a way to start. And if we can do that without resentments, much better. There are too many Lindas and Rosas in the world already.

Monterey High to host information night for prospective students

Attention Monterey area parents. If you're interested in your middle school child attending Monterey High, here's your chance to hear more about what's happening there.

The incoming 9th grade parent information night will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 19 at the Monterey Cafe at Monterey High.

(I hear the food there's pretty yummy. I'm going to have to check it out)

Monterey High Principal Marcie Plummer says she's been receiving many phone calls from Monterey residents whose children are now attending private schools wanting to find out about Monterey High programs. She wants publicity, so here it is, Ms. Plummer.

I'll be by to collect my veggie burger next week. ;)

MAOS Mom extraordinaire chimes in controversy

Joanna Greenshields, reader extraordinaire and another keen observer of MPUSD, added her two cents in the ongoing dialogue the district's having about the future of MAOS. You can find it here.

But because she addresses a very important point that could be missed in the conversation (something that I've already alluded to in previous posts) I'll highlight it here. It revolves around the issue of people coming forward with credible information when they want me to write a story.

This is an excerpt from Ms. Greenshields' comments:


One of the difficulties for Ms Melendez has been getting accurate information on the underlying story of why MAOS would be seeking autonomy from the current administration.

People with accurate knowledge and an understanding of the complexities currently facing MAOS and MPUSD,  are either unable or unwilling to have an open, honest dialog with her about how we got to the point of charter exploration.

And there you have it. I'm asked all the time: do a story about this or that. Half of the time I'm chasing my tail because I'm trying to get information and people won't talk to me. Mr. Jensen writes to me: don't write until you get all the answers. Well, I'm not getting any answers, but hopefully, if I write what happens at a board meeting -- all on the record, thank goodness -- something else can pop up.

So, if you have a story for me, you know where to find me. I'm waiting patiently.

Reading between the MAOS and MPUSD lines

Sometimes, the most fascinating stuff to come out of board meetings it's what's left unspoken.

Take the Monday night meeting of the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District. I thought I was losing my mind when I kept thinking to myself, why are they doing this? Why do teachers want to take the Monterey Academy of Oceanographic Science away form Monterey High and make it its own charter? What's the real reason?

I've been asking myself this question over and over again. I even asked marine biology teacher Geoff Von Saltza, but I never felt I received a satisfactory answer.

So the question came up again, Monday night, from some people in the audience.

Why do the teachers want to do this?

English teacher Ron Woods said, in not such few words, they want more control. Echoing Woods, Von Saltza said (see the videos) that MAOS has always been a teacher-driven program, and that they want to return it to its original mission.

So they want more control.

Then Monterey High principal Marci Plummer got to the podium and told trustees something like this:

"I’ve offered and I've extended during the entire process the opportunity to work with us on an alternative proposal, a schedule within a schedule so we could begin articulation. I have a memo I wrote about our meetings (documenting) some of the things MAOS needed and we have achieved 10 out of 11 objectives around course curriculum... "

(Mmm. There's people at MPUSD who actually take notes during meetings. Fascinating.)

Plummer went on. She's made some hires for MAOS. And she also offered all the teachers who are willing the opportunity to work with her to design a master schedule.

So the teachers want more control and Plummer has tried to make concessions. At least, that's what she said.

Then came the most poignant commentary of the evening, from MPUSD keen observer Pam Silkwood and mom of two MAOS students. The idea of a charters is innovative and out of the box, it should be encouraged and pursued, she said. But the plan as presented lacks details, and besides, the charter petition is just a symptom of a bigger ailment at the district.

"It's an example of lack of collaboration between teachers and administration," Silkwood said. "I have respect for both parties. A MAOS charter is like putting a band-aid on a gouging wound."

There you have it. The real reason why MAOS teachers want out of Monterey High is because they seemingly can't work with administrators.

At least that's what I thought until Tuesday evening. Then Scuttlebutt came a'calling, and the rug was pulled from underneath my chair.

I've covered the district long enough to agree with Pam Silkwood in one thing: this is symptom of a bigger ailment. It's worrisome because the district is looking for a new superintendent, and it makes me wonder how effective he or she will be working in this atmosphere of distrust.

And it makes me very sad because in school we ask students to learn to collaborate and work together, but we can't get the adults to do that --not just at MPUSD, but everywhere I turn in education. So how realistic is it to ask that of young people?

Also, we ask of our youngsters not to lie, and it turns out, adults do it ALL THE TIME. And I wonder, how can anybody work with people they can't trust???????

That's how Scuttlebutt pulled my rug. Because, it turns out, some of the adults in the room Monday night were not being completely honest about what's happening in the district. It's not the first time I've heard these claims, so by now I'm giving them more credence.

Excuse me, everybody. I need to go throw up.

Monterey High School Music Boosters wants your old, usable instruments

Do you have a used but playable musical instrument that you don't want anymore? Donate it to the Monterey High School Music Boosters! Donations of good quality instruments are tax deductible under our 501(c)(3) non-profit tax ID.

Your donations will help to ensure continued success for the instrumental Music Students at Monterey High School.

Email Lara Levy for more information! llevy@mpusd.k12.ca.us

or call 650-823-9706

Monterey volleyball players to raise breast cancer awareness

Monterey High Girls Volleyball will charge an extra dollar at their game on Oct. 25 to raise funds for breast cancer awareness. It's their "DigPink" night, the official name for fundraisers that benefit the Side-Out Foundation for medical research.

Many of the volleyball team members have a family member or a close friend touched by breast cancer, said Michelle Hazlett, volleyball mom extraordinaire.

"Last year, one of our Team Moms from Boys Volleyball, Debbie Hodgson, passed only two weeks prior to the DigPink which is what motivated the girls to start their annual DigPink," Michelle wrote in an email. "This year, we have another mom battling, but chooses to keep it private as many often do. We have a player whose great aunt is a survivor, which of course always gives hope. We have asked the girls to all announce who they will be playing for this year, and none will have trouble coming up with a name. It definitely makes your heart rip out; this game’s dedication wasn’t started because of a bunch of adults thought the kids should do this, it started because the girls found this was something they could do to help, when often they feel like they can’t."

 Admission to the Oct. 25 game is $6 for adults, $4 for seniors and youths. Junior Varsity starts at 5pm, and Varsity at 6:30pm. At Monterey High School Randal Gym, 101 Hermann, behind the Football field.