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Speak Out
Consensus must be earned in our form of government
The San Jose School District's new board policy about standards to govern behavior featured in the March 28 issue of the Willow Glen Resident seeks to unconstitutionally muzzle dissent by duly elected individual members in the name of "common vision." Sounds more like the Soviet Politburo than a democratic institution.
Decisions by the majority are not ipso facto correct. Dissent can result in new and better policy. Carol Myers was elected by her constituents to form and express her own views whether they are agreed to by the majority or not. Consensus must be earned, not result from threats of censure.
Richard Wylie
Andalusia Way
Bigotry seems the key to school trustee's attitude
I hesitated to write a response to Carol Myers' letter that ran in the April 4 issue of the Willow Glen Resident because I am not sure that many people think she has much credibility left in the community. Perhaps I should ignore her latest attempt to defend her actions because she is an isolated and distracting voice on the San Jose Unified School District board of trustees that seems to be working hard to improve all of the district's schools.
But a particular paragraph in her letter told me that speaking out was my only choice. Decrying the choice that students and families have in selecting the school that best meets the student's needs, Mrs. Myers writes the sentence that crystallizes her bigotry and her unwillingness to acknowledge the changes that have taken place in the Willow Glen neighborhood. "Willow Glen secondary schools are 30 percent white and 55 percent Hispanic. It's quite clear why neighborhood students of our community feel the need to leave for greener pastures."
WGHS has a population of approximately 1,349 students. The largest single ZIP codes in the school are 95125, 95126, 95118, 95110, 95112--seems like a neighborhood school to me. Mrs. Myers should execute her duties as trustee of Area 3 in a manner that will support, respect and honor the students and families who have chosen Willow Glen High School as well as the dedicated and hardworking staff and administration of the school. She continues to insult every student and family who have already chosen Willow Glen High. I believe the motto of the district is "All Students Can Learn, All Students Can Succeed". Perhaps Mrs. Myers doesn't believe in that motto.
Nowhere in any of Mrs. Myers' recent ramblings has she mentioned that WGHS was one of only two high schools in the district to meet their API goals and obtain additional funding from the state as a reward for a job well done. Nowhere does she acknowledge the efforts and success of the WGHS Robotics team that recently exceeded expectations at both the Southern and Northern California Robotics Competitions, including forming a coalition with other schools--private and public--to achieve success. Nowhere does she acknowledge the efforts of the student government to develop and implement activities that will involve more students in the school's life.
Willow Glen High School is a thriving community of diverse cultures, students of various abilities, and teachers, staff and administrators committed to providing the best experience possible for ALL of the students. Instead of constantly haranguing about the lack of white students at the school, Mrs. Myers ought to get to know the student and family population and be part of developing the curriculum, the activities, and the spirit of the school to be the best in the district.
Mrs. Myers' efforts seem to be directed to trying to draw "better" students to the school instead of working to educate the terrific students who are at the school. I hope that students, parents and other community members will speak out about their positive experiences at Willow Glen High School. Though I no longer have a student at the school I have remained as a community volunteer because I believe the attitude and actions of the current administration, faculty and staff will continue to build a high school that will be committed to serving the needs of and offer opportunities to ALL of its students, no matter who they are.
Karla Fukushima
Chairwoman
Willow Glen High School Site Council
DeCinzo's cartoon riduculed, instead of offering praise
I just read your well-written story about Joseph Pineda, the seventh-grader who returned a wallet featured in the March 21 issue of The Willow Glen Resident.
What a fine young man Joseph is, and what a fabulous example of a good citizen. His parents must be so proud of him for doing the right thing.
The article provided me with a perfect opportunity to discuss with my kids the importance of life skills such as honesty and integrity.
As I continued to read The Resident, I stumbled upon DeCinzo's disgusting cartoon depicting what he believes adults "really think" about young Mr. Pineda. Shame on you, DeCinzo! In these times when people have so little faith in our youngsters due to school shootings and other undesirable acts, why on earth would you choose to ridicule this young man? I seriously doubt that any morally responsible adult would have the same "twisted" belief that you have.
Instead of ridicule, why don't you give Joseph the praise he deserves? Encouragement and praise can go a long way when it comes to influencing our children's behavior. I fear that the damage you have done with your cartoon is that children will believe that it is not worth the effort to do a good deed if someone is going to make fun of you for it.
Carrie Maietta
Richards Avenue
Correction
The caption on The Resident's April 4 cover photograph on Casa Casa should have said that Katie Goforth was positioned on the top and Meg Yeargain was on the right.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
