Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Senior parents give nod to a San Francisco venue

By Shari Kaplan

While Los Gatos High School administrators were polling parents of seniors to see whether they approved of San Francisco as the venue for the senior ball, a small group of "concerned parents" tried to circumvent the administration by going directly to the school board to demand that the annual dance be held in San Jose.

The event has traditionally been held in San Francisco, save for a detour last year to the Fairmont in San Jose. Following a survey sent last year to parents of students in all grade levels, results had shown a preference for San Jose. The date the school wanted for this year's ball, May 25, was unavailable at the Fairmont until recently; so, the school kept its reservations with the San Francisco Hilton.

LGHS Principal Ted Simonson explained at the Feb. 6 meeting of the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District Board of Trustees that, about a week earlier, the Fairmont found May 25 open again and notified the school. That prompted another parent survey with results due by Feb. 2, this time only to senior-class parents.

Of the 38 percent return, Simonson said 60 percent favored San Francisco and 40 percent favored San Jose. He said he interprets the remaining 62 percent of unreturned surveys to indicate parents had no preference.

School board members indicated that they planned no action, as requested by the "concerned parents" group, as they were satisfied that the wishes of senior parents were being met.

According to LGHS Vice Principal of Curriculum Patti Hughes, this kind of survey is a better indicator than one sent to parents of all grade levels. Parents of freshmen, she later told the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, may find the idea of having their children go up to San Francisco more daunting than do parents of seniors.

"If the kids had voted, it would have been overwhelmingly in support of San Francisco," Hughes said, adding that the administration does not dictate where the ball is held.

Student school board representative Cynthia Moore, a LGHS senior, spoke at the Feb. 6 board meeting for herself and many of her peers regarding their concerns over the senior ball issue.

"As a representative for student views, I'd like to say that the majority of students by far prefer San Francisco," Moore said.

She said that although she and her classmates were pleased with the outcome of the new survey, many were upset because they had little opportunity to voice their own opinions. They also did not like the idea that the small faction of concerned parents had sent letters to the board pushing for the continuance of the San Jose venue, she said.