Saratoga News

Photograph by Robert Scheer

Kamal Hubbard blows dust from a ceramic project.

Peer Pressure

Most students at Saratoga High School earn good grades, so the pressure is on to excel

This is the third story in a three-part series examining the tradition of excellence at Saratoga High School. -Editor

By Robert Scheer

If you are an average student at Saratoga High School, you don't discuss grades. Peer pressure is a large force in the lives of students who attend one of the most prestigious high schools in California.

"This has always been a strong school academically," said counselor Noreen Likins, "but I think that what has happened in recent years is that the really hardworking, very bright students have set the pace. If you are an average student, and you suddenly have to work real hard for your grade, it's difficult. You're never going to get that 'A' in the class because somebody's always going to be ahead of you."

It is common for Saratoga High students to take a class in summer school and then retake that same class in the fall. Students who are not as motivated sometimes suffer.

Incoming senior Katie Missakian, for example, tried to get into an honors course last fall but was not accepted because she had one 'C' on her record. Eventually she was allowed in because another student dropped the class.

"Academic pressure is based on having to be good or else you get drowned," she said. "Everyone does so well that you have to do as well as them to be normal."

Missakian's mother Mary is concerned about the pressure. "There should probably be more avenues to succeed for kids who don't succeed academically," she said. "And I think it would be nice if kids that make C's could feel good at that school."

However, Tina Hubbard, mother of senior Kamal, believes differently.

"Pressure doesn't bother me because I feel that Kamal is capable of doing just as well," she said. "So what I call competition is making him a better person, more aware and academically challenged."

Besides peer pressure, there is influence from the school itself.

"The climate here is one of serious education," said math teacher Jim Feenstra. "Sometimes students will say, 'Gee, Saratoga High is not very spirited,' and maybe that makes them think that this is not a good school. But they've got many opportunities at this school that they could never get at another school."

Some students long for a more festive atmosphere to break up the drive for excellence. Kamal Hubbard is disappointed that the school spirit has declined since his freshman year.

"Like dress-up days, and going to football games to support the teams," he said. "There's not so much of that now. Students in our class are the biggest trouble-makers; they do a lot of pranks. I wanted to at first, but it just gets you in trouble."

Most students are so focused on studies that they have no time to create problems. "Sometimes I've got to get somebody to put [another] textbook away and take out their math book," Feenstra said. "Generally speaking, the discipline problems are minor."

Students' yearnings for a more lax academic environment are occasionally echoed by parents.

"I think that the focus is a bit one-dimensional. I'd like to see a broader recognition that there are things other than academics," said Dale Martlage, father of senior Aaron. "It's almost like a machine here."

Likins agreed that this environment is not for everyone. "Usually if kids are not doing well, it is because the school is so strong academically," she said. "Sometimes, for whatever reason, they decide that it isn't for them."

Likins remembered one student who was creatively oriented and wanted to take art and graphic design courses. "I talked to her about moving over to an alternative school for the whole of the next year because she doesn't like it here," she said.

Although Saratoga High's rigorous academic climate is not suited for everyone, Likins says that students rarely turn to alcohol or other drugs for relief. Saratoga High students, however, are not immune to experimentation.

In the past few years, alcohol and marijuana use has become more prevalent among students, say counselors.

"I think if I were a student on this campus, it would take about three minutes to find some marijuana," Likins said.

Katie Missakian has had encounters with substance abusers at parties. "It's been offered--just marijuana--to me a couple of times, but I've never been interested in trying it, or any kind of drugs," she said. "People I hang out with a lot, they kind of surprise me, but they're just cool if you say 'I don't want any.'" While she chooses not to partake, she knows that her mom is concerned about the crowd she hangs out with.

Dale Martlage likes to keep family talks about substance abuse very low-key. "We make it part of the day-to-day discussion. A lot of things happen in the paper or the community that provide a way to talk about things without isolating it," he said.

Both Aaron Martlage and Kamal Hubbard say that while a few of their friends drink alcohol, they don't get a lot of pressure to do so, and a concerted effort has to be made by students to obtain some. "For you to drink in Saratoga, you have to make an effort. It's not like people are offering you beers on the side of the street," Martlage said.

While experimentation among Saratoga teens may be similar to their more urban counterparts, pressure to join gangs is spotty. Likins said there are a few wannabes on campus, and she finds that these kids often are the product of a broken home life and use a "gangsta" image to gain confidence.

Unlike the conspicuousness of wannabe gang members, the occurrence of teenage pregnancy in Saratoga is virtually unnoticed. Counselor Likins said that of the one or two pregnancies she knows about each year, the girls usually opt for abortion.

While Saratoga certainly is not void of problems plaguing larger communities, academically inclined students form the nucleus of its high school.

Though the four years spent at Saratoga High are arduous, the experience is worth it for most students. According to a student poll, 84 percent believe that the school is doing a good job preparing them for their future.

"I want to live in a big city at some point in my life," said Katie Missakian. "But when I settle down with a family, I want somewhere where you don't have to lock your doors, somewhere with good schools, something like Saratoga."