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It is inevitable !!! I think I remember a post that you said you graduated from high school in 2002. My point to this is that you need to look at the BIG PICTURE. I think everyone on this board has ties to "THEIR SCHOOL", but times do change. Just look back over some of the most recent posts. CELL PHONES in everyones pocket,, internet,, etc etc,,, As long as the consolodation is done in such fashion that it benefits EVERY kid in WISE COUNTY,, then,,, LET'S DO IT !!!!!!!
Sorry, someone else must have graduated in 2002,, just noticed your post said 2005...
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It is inevitable !!! I think I remember a post that you said you graduated from high school in 2002. My point to this is that you need to look at the BIG PICTURE. I think everyone on this board has ties to "THEIR SCHOOL", but times do change. Just look back over some of the most recent posts. CELL PHONES in everyones pocket,, internet,, etc etc,,, As long as the consolodation is done in such fashion that it benefits EVERY kid in WISE COUNTY,, then,,, LET'S DO IT !!!!!!!
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What on earth do cell phones in everyones pocket have to do with consolidation? As for that post about kids needing to have cell phones, ipods, and cars to be hip, it is not the concern of the school whether or not the kids are hip or not, it is their concern to educate them not spoil them, that is what the parents do. and there is no way to do consolidation in a way to benefit EVERY kid in wise county. And to think that it is possible for EVERY kid in the county to benifit from consolidation is ridiculous. As for everyone having ties to their school, you bet we do, and we're proud of it. It is those ties that will save our schools and our towns. [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beer1.gif[/img]
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What schools do you all or you children go too? Plus are you two blind? Basically every school in SWVA is run down. Face the facts, consolidation is better and it WILL happen. Like it or not.
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This is only the truth.
I have to giggle about these 18-20 year olds spouting their wisdom about the future of Wise County and its schools.
Hey folks - they're all on Myspace, with the same usernames they use on here. Go check their sites to get an insider's view of their world (although I wouldn't be surprised if they changed their privacy settings to keep prying eyes out now) It gave me the power to simply ignore their posts. You may also find examples of why better education is necessary in Wise County.
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If we ignore the building structure issue, it still remains fact that better course offerings would be available to schools with larger populations.
As it stands, there aren't enough students interested in a significant number of AP courses. Pound had AP English. A few years they had AP History - depending on the interest. I had to do independent study Chemistry II because I was the only student interested. This is a basic class! My junior year 5 of us had to petition just to get calculus.
There's so much more available though! AP for Various languages, Calculus, Physics, Chemistry, Economics, etc.
Currently these cannot be brought into Wise County schools.
AP courses help students be competitive in the college application race. How many students from Wise County go on to larger more competitive schools? The percentage of those who do is very tiny. They're competing with students with 4.5 GPAs. How do you have a 4.5 GPA? AP Classes. AP classes we don't have here, but many other Virginia public schools do have. Even if they were accepted they would be ill prepared. I believe we all know at least one or two people who went off to college only to return in the first semester or year. Our students can't compete - THIS would never be possible for our students, even though there are some very intelligent students here.
We should not deny students a quality public school education just because some really dont care about their own educational future. We are paying for these public schools and we're not getting our money's worth. If I had kids in school I would want the same public school offerings for them that the kids in NOVA have. We are behind folks. Our kids are being left behind. We're just a big bunch of country-bumpkins in the eyes of the rest of the state and we're not helping ourselves.
Consolidation in Wise County does not mean huge class sizes either. Classes can be kept to approximately 25 students. A larger variety of classes means the students can spread out. Even if it's just one big schools. we're not going to have the school population to rival the huge NOVA high schools - this "huge class size" is not a concern with our population. The entire population of Wise county is smaller than the populations of some of their single towns.
Consolidated schools dont have just one math teacher, one english teacher, so on and so forth.
I recall classes with 25-30 students when I was in high school (the mandatory classes were always very full).
Folks concerned about class size for their children in the future are talking a two-faced story. They want a 'good education in small classes' but they want them in schools with only the most basic of offerings that don't prepare students for college. Our children need opportunity - they need a fighting chance for any college their hearts desire. This is not available in Wise County. In my graduating class of 72, only 4 graduated with a 4 year degree. In discussions with a variety of folks around the area, this is fairly standard throughout the county.
The year is 2006. It won't be long before a BA has only as much pull as a high school diploma.
Last but not least, someone please tell me how a school will save a town?
Do schools bring in businesses? No.
Appalachia Coeburn & Pound still have their schools, but yet the businesses have all but disappeared. There are historical societies trying to save the towns.
Do schools put coal back in the ground and bring the boom back? Not hardly.
Hometown spirit or pride won't support the towns. Businesses need profit - not town pride. You can't pay the bills with pride.
Do our schools have great events? No.
Our schools are even completely incapable of hosting sizeable academic, athletic & extracurricular events. They're worthless in that aspect.
copy and pasting kills me
Since you responded to my post I have to ask: what does that have to do with my post, other than the fact that I referred to a post by burton2019?
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Last but not least, someone please tell me how a school will save a town?
Do schools bring in businesses? No.
Appalachia Coeburn & Pound still have their schools, but yet the businesses have all but disappeared. There are historical societies trying to save the towns.
Do schools put coal back in the ground and bring the boom back? Not hardly.
Hometown spirit or pride won't support the towns. Businesses need profit - not town pride. You can't pay the bills with pride.
Do our schools have great events? No.
Our schools are even completely incapable of hosting sizeable academic, athletic & extracurricular events. They're worthless in that aspect.
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I know you mean well.
How does a school save a town.
Keeping it together. The kids from the same community and the community behind those kids. It saves both.
If anything the last paragraph. I don't know. I know you mean well.
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Keeping it together. The kids from the same community and the community behind those kids. It saves both.
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Oh c'mon. This sounds like a line from a cheesy feel-good movie. I can't believe anyone is saying that this will keep a town together. Money makes towns happen. If a town can't make money there's no reason to stay.
Drop the dreaming and start thinking realistically.
Keeping children in one bulding is not going to save a town.
Children have been together and yet our towns have gone to pot. You still have Appalachia High School... so where's the great town of yesteryear? Dead. The jobs? Gone. The money is gone. The businesses moved out. Same for Pound. Same for Coeburn. Wise is barely there - but only because it's the county seat.
And what if a school saves a town (even though I do not believe this to be the case)? Then our towns will be full of uneducated unambitious kids with no desire to "do" anything great with their lives. "I dont care that I missed out on great educational possibilities. I'm going to live in Pound my entire life! I love my community! I'll shop at foodland for groceries and walmart for my clothes. When I get laid off every other year from my sad job I'll just apply for unemployment and food stamps. No problem. I love my community." Like I said before, the day is coming that a BA will be a minimum requirement for even basic jobs and our kids will not be prepared.
If a school and sense of community would save a town, our towns wouldn't be in the sorry pathetic shape they're in right now. Their very condition currently counters your own statement.
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I know you mean well
[/ QUOTE ] it's not necessary to speak to me in a condescending tone. It's not appreciated.
I am not an 18 or 19 year old so I feel qualified to respond to a few of the points made.
The economic situation in Pound and other smaller towns would be far worse without their high schools-
keeping a high school is an important part of any attempt to sustain the economic viability of the towns in question. It is a proven fact that it is helpful to any scheme of economic development to have a secondary school in that community. They attract potential residents as well as providing jobs for people in the community. An employee of a consolidated high school is more likely to live in close proximity to that school than otherwise.
AP courses are not bad in some ways- but their limited efficancy- does not justify the amount of money this county is spending on them. These courses are duplicates of courses being offered at local colleges and they should be properly taught at those colleges.
Would the education of kids from Pound be helped by transporting them to Wise? No. The basic educational program in Pound is quite good. Would their extra-curricular activities be enhanced? No. Distance and limitation of the available slots on various teams and programs would diminish the chances of kids to participate. You are not going to have a high school with a 200 member football squad or a 77 member basketball team. Somebody will be left out- and it will not be kids from Wise or Big Stone- where your schools will be located.
Will consolidation save the taxpayers money? No. The nasty little secret the pro-consolidation people won't admit is that it is a smokescreen to convince taxpayers that they will be saving money when in reality it will eat up more hard earned dollars. If you look at the added transport costs plus the fact that they want to add programs- utterly unnecessary programs- it will stick the taxpayer in the wallet.
The secondary schools of Virginia exist to educate the children of the communities of this commonwealth. That is the key. Wise and Pound are not one community. They are separated both geographically and otherwise. The sole benefit Pound receives from its connection with Wise County is the school system- take it away and people have nothing to show for their tax dollars.
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are duplicates of courses being offered at local colleges and they should be properly taught at those colleges
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Why wait to take these classes? This is detrimental to students. Also, very few students have the ability to dual-enroll. This takes tuition. AP courses are part of a public education. And those that do dual-enroll still dont get in one or two semesters the AP courses that should be offered in high school. AP course boost attractiveness to colleges - boost scholarship opportunities.
Our students are not marketable. Our students are not competitive. When students apply for college admission they are compared to the other applicants. Our students can't compete with regards to college prep. This affects their financial aid (scholarships) also.
http://www.virginia.edu/undergradadm...admission.html
http://www.admissions.duke.edu/jump/applying/who.asp
http://www.admiss.vt.edu/apply/fresh...e_look_for.php
http://www.admissions.unc.edu/applying/freshman.htm
Just some example of what colleges are looking for.
You may not agree with the efficacy, but the reality is these courses are weighted heavily in admissions consideration. The colleges dont care why a student doesn't have more AP classes. The colleges only care that you do have them at all.
Yes the "basic" education at Pound is good. But why stick our students with basic? Give these kids options. Don't give them a basic education. Give them an outstanding education. They're being left behind simply because they live in Southwest VA.
As it stands right now, if I had a high school age student in Wise County he/she would be yanked for homeschooling/private schooling or moved to a better school system. I would be doing my child a disservice by not giving him/her every academic option available.
If my options are "sense of community" or "child with a future" I pick child with a future.