IT IS TIME: THE STEVENSON IMPROVEMENT CLUB STUDENT SURVEY 1986

THE STEVENSON IMPROVEMENT CLUB

STUDENT SURVEY

“Students make a school, and if you don’t listen to the students, you have no school.”

- Rita Martinez, student

Spring, 1986

INTRODUCTION

Many individuals and groups are working to improve public education. Although we

hear or read something about it almost every day, rarely do we hear what the students have to say.

We feel this is a major mistake. We also feel it is a poignant indication of the value that

our society places on the opinions of our young people, which in turn is a primary reason why our schools are in the shape they’re in.

We further believe that those persons and groups who are truly interested in fixing public

education can learn a lot by reading this report. Adlai E. Stevenson High School, though larger and probably a bit better than most, is a fairly typical inner-city public high school. Though some student comments pertain particularly to Stevenson, it is our opinion that the vast majority of feelings expressed herein are common to students in public high schools throughout our entire country.

Of course you may disagree with that last statement, and you might be right. Let’s find

out!! We would love to see hundreds of schools, both traditional and non-traditional, conduct similar surveys. Then we could do some serious comparing, and much could be learned.

BACKGROUND

The Stevenson Improvement Club held its first meeting in December of 1985.

Membership was open to each and every student, teacher, parent, paraprofessional,

administrator, secretary, custodian, community member, etc. who was willing to work with others to improve Adlai Stevenson High specifically, and public education generally.

We realized that one of the first things we needed was an honest assessment of the

conditions in our school. The faculty had recently held meetings to offer their feelings on what needed to be worked on. We decided, therefore, that a student evaluation was the next obvious step.

Our longer-range goal was to invite other staff members, parents, and community

members to join with the students and teachers in comparing the results of the faculty and

student assessments (which by the way were quite similar) and engage in some healthy,

cooperative, and ongoing dialogue leading to some good, creative problem solving.

The students in our group, who represent a cross-section of the general student

population, devised a twenty-five statement checklist survey.

In April of 1986 we went to Mr. Ed Hom, who was the school principal at the time, and

asked if he would support us in distributing the survey throughout the school. We were

extremely fortunate because Mr. Hom was very supportive.

We were likewise very fortunate that Ms. Pat Friedman, who was assistant principal in

charge of English at the time, also supported us wholeheartedly. Ms. Friedman’s support, and the subsequent cooperation of the great majority of her staff, ensured our receiving a large number of completed surveys. Thanks.

And thanks, too, to those members of the Bilingual and Special Education Departments

who distributed the survey to their students.

There were two parts to the survey. The checklist portion asked students to mark and

indicate how much they agreed or disagreed with the twenty-five statements, and also invited them to offer additional comments. Furthermore, students were instructed to write an essay entitled ‘The Ideal high school’ as a homework assignment.

4 IMPORTANT EXPLANATION OF WHAT FOLLOWS

This report consists of three major sections.

The first section is an overview of the statistical findings of the student-designed checklist. (see next page)

Some comments: Although (a) this survey was not designed by anyone with a professional knowledge of research methods and statistical analysis, and (b) a few of the statements could have been phrased better; the Stevenson Improvement Club feels the results are far too significant to allow them to be swept under any rugs.

Also, statements (4) and (13) were reversed on the survey to discourage the responders from just checking things off without actually reading each selection. On the original list of concerns they were stated as ‘School is too crowded’ and ‘Need more time to get from place to place.’

Finally, and at the risk of sounding trite, I would like to caution readers to really think about what all these numbers mean. In other words: for many of us, when we read 86.4% feel this and 65.7% feel that and 78% feel…it can be very easy to ‘click off’ and allow the numbers and statements to run together and get all mixed up. The whole thing might get very cloudy and therefore not really impact on us.

I implore you: If you’re really serious about gaining an understanding of what it feels like to be a student in an inner-city public high school then don’t let that happen. Don’t race through this section. Go slowly. Think about each statement. Look at the numbers. When you read that 81% agree with (this), 41% strongly; picture ten students and eight of them are saying “Yes, I agree that this is a problem here.” And of those eight, four of them are adamant. These four are saying that they feel this is a very big problem in our school!

The second section consists of student writings. From the hundreds of written commentaries that were submitted, we have cited the topics which were most often ‘discussed,’ and we’ve offered some excerpts. Here you can read what the students say about counseling; curriculum and programming; overcrowding; respecting students’ needs and opinions; safety and orderliness; student attendance and dropping out; and school tone/atmosphere.

The third section consists of additional student commentaries. But not in any particular order. These excerpts have been selected for a variety of reasons. Creativity. Humor. Wisdom. Sensitivity. Ideas.

We hope you enjoy the report. And we hope that you don’t enjoy the report.

Roger Dennis, Founder

Stevenson Improvement Club

STEVENSON IMPROVEMENT CLUB: STUDENT SURVEY

…….Strongly Agree…….. Agree...….. Not sure…….. Disagree…….. Strongly Disagree

Bad lunches

Not enough equipment/supplies

School is dirty

Need more effective security system

Class programming is messed up

Need more courses related to life

More doors should be open in the morning

Too many bathrooms are closed

Need more respect between students & teachers

Students need more say in what goes on

Not enough counseling is available

Need less time to get from place to place

There is not enough individual attention

Criminal behavior exists here (e.g. drug abuse, stealing)

Continually disruptive students should be transferred out

Teachers should listen to students

Need more guidance counselors

There are too many unnecessary classes

Some security guards are disrespectful

Need more student recognition/encouragement

Graduation requirements are unfair

Need to showcase students’ talents more

Need more after school activities

Need more variety of classes

*Also, please put a check to the left of the five areas you feel are most important.

Name:__________________________________ Homeroom:___________________________

*What clubs would you join if they existed?

**Please write any additional comments here and/or on the back of the sheet.

CONTENTS

Introduction and Background a

Important Explanation b

Section One

A. Sample copy of student survey c

B. An Overview of the Checklist Results

C. Some additional notes

D. Graph – Percentage of Students SATISFIED with each of the surveyed categories.

Section Two: Student Writings

On Counseling

On Curriculum and Programming

On Overcrowding

On Respecting Students’ Needs and Opinions

On Safety and Orderliness

On Student Attendance and Dropping Out

On School Tone/Atmosphere

Section Three: More Student Writings

Addendum

Acknowledgements

*Note: Sorry; although they appear on the hard copy reports, we couldn’t figure out how to replicate the graphs onto this document.

B. An Overview of the Checklist Results

We received 1798 completed surveys (about 39% of the registered student body). Two hundred and sixty-eight were submitted anonymously. The rest specified their homeroom sections and were tabulated within their groupings. Here are the groupings (the number in parentheses represents the number of students who responded from that particular group):

a. 9th grade program (254) l. Special Education (94)

b. other 1st year mainstream 9th graders (56) m. Bilingual/ESL (98)

c. 9th grade Honors (32) n. Prep (43)

d. 10th grade Honors (58) o. Operation Fresh Start (19)

e. 10th grade College Bound (61) p. AIDP (Dropout Prevention) (40)

f. other 10th grade mainstream (54) q. ninth grade (342)

g. 11th grade College Bound (61) r. tenth grade (373)

h. other 11th grade mainstream (172) s. eleventh grade (233)

i. 12th grade Honors (11) t. twelfth grade (263)

j. 12th grade College Bound (49) u. All (1798)

Note: This particular analysis will present a general look at our findings; specific groups will only be singled out when their opinions differ significantly from the ‘norm’. If a request is made for the comprehensive statistics of any of the groups listed we will furnish same.

Ok, so what did we learn?

a. 89% of the 1798 respondees agreed that we need more respect between teachers and students (51% strongly agreed)

b. 87.6% agreed that teachers should listen to students (42% strongly)

c. 86.4% agreed that more doors should be open in the morning. (56% strongly)

d. 85.7% agreed that too many bathrooms are closed. (52% strongly)

e. 84.8% agreed that students need more say in what goes on. (45% strongly)

f. 82.2% felt that we need more time to get from place to place.* (55% strongly)

note: In Honors 94.3% of the students agreed, including 76.7% strongly!)

g. 78.3% agreed that class programming is messed up (51% strongly)

note: In ninth grade it was 70% agreeing. In tenth through twelfth grades there were 86% in agreement, including 57% strongly.

*By disagreeing with ‘We need less time….’

h. 77.8% of the 1798 agreed that we need more student recognition and encouragement. (33% strongly)

i. 74.4% felt that school is crowded * (45% strongly)

note: In Honors 89.3% felt this (58% strongly)

j. 72.4% felt that continually disruptive students should be transferred out. ** (38% strongly agreed) note: 16.6% were not sure. Only 11% disagreed

k. 72.7% agreed that we need to showcase students’ talents more (28% strongly)

l. 70.2% agreed that we need more variety of classes. (32% strongly)

m. 68.2% agreed that we need more guidance counselors (36% strongly)
note: 83% of Seniors felt this, including 44% strongly

n. 68.2% agreed that there is not enough equipment or supplies (31% strongly)

o. 63.8% agreed that criminal behavior exists here. (e.g. drug abuse, stealing)**

(33.5% strongly agreed; 22.7% were not sure; 13.5% disagreed)

p. 63.8% agreed that we need more courses related to life (28% strongly)

q. 60.3% felt that not enough counseling is available. (32% strongly agreed)

note: 47.5% in the ninth grade program agreed; 33% in the 9th grade Honors: however, 65% of other
9th graders agreed. Another sizable range occurred in the 11th grade where 49% of the College Bound students agreed but 72.6% of the main body agreed. In 12th grade the total group percentage was 69.

r. 59% of all respondees felt that some security guards are disrespectful (32% strongly) 24.7% were not sure. 16.7% disagreed.

s. 58.5% felt that lunches are bad (34% strongly). 31.4% were not sure. 10% disagreed.

t. 56% agreed that there are too many unnecessary classes. (30% strongly) 22% were not sure.

u. 55% agreed that we need more after-school activities. (21% strongly) not sure: 29%

v. 55% felt there is not enough individual attention (29% strongly agreed)

w. 54.7% agreed that school is dirty. (22% strongly) But 32% disagreed.

x. 53.9% agreed that we need a more effective security system. (24% strongly)

y. 46.4 % felt that graduation requirements are unfair. (25% strongly)

note:

9th: 32.4% agreed, 19% strongly

10th: 44.7% agreed, 25% strongly

11th: 54.4% agreed, 28% strongly

12th: 54.3% agreed, 29% strongly

* By disagreeing with ‘School is not crowded’

** See more detailed comment in section ‘C’

AREAS OF GREATEST CONCERN

We also asked the students to select the five areas which they considered to be the most

important. Of the 1798 completed surveys, 903 included these selections.

A. Undeniably the greatest number of students are particularly upset that ‘class programming is messed up’. 453 students, more than 50%, listed this. *

B. In second place, listed as particularly important by 324 respondees (35.9%), was ‘More doors should be open in the morning.’ All four grades listed this as their second or third major concern. Seniors were more adamant; 82 of 170 (48%) (Note: The building had about twenty entrances, but students could enter school ONLY via the front door - because they had to pass through metal detectors. Stevenson's enrollment was 4600, and so students had to wait on line - sometimes for up to 45 minutes - in order to get into the building. Many thus got to class late, even though they had arrived to school in plenty of time to get to class on time. RD - 2014)

C. Third place, picked by 235 (26%) was “Teachers should listen to students.”

D. 234 students (25.9%) selected “Students need more say in what goes on.”

E. Fifth place saw a deadlock between “need more respect between teachers and students” and…

“Criminal behavior exists here (e.g. drug abuse, stealing)”. Each was chosen by 226

students. (25%)

F. Seventh place, selected by 203 (22.5%) was “Graduation requirements are unfair.” 40.6% of the Seniors picked this.

G. 195 of the 903 students (21.6%) felt particularly strongly that “We need more guidance counselors.” The Senior figure was highest: 30.6%

H. The class programing problem was considered to be of major concern by ‘only’ 34.7% of ninth graders. But that figure rose to 57.5% for both tenth and eleventh graders and to 65.3% for twelfth graders.

C. Some Additional Notes

1. Statement #15, Criminal behavior exists here (e.g. drug abuse, stealing), was misleading. Following comments to that effect, we discussed it at one of our meetings. There were fifteen students in attendance that day; and, although their comments cannot be considered absolutely indicative of general student sentiment, we did have our usual cross-section of students present.

The student opinions expressed at that meeting:

(a) None of the Honors or College Bound students knew of anyone in their circle of

friends/classmates who were drug abusers.

(b) Although drugs can be found in or around school if you want them, it is easy to stay

away from them if you so choose.

complex said that most of the young people in their circle of acquaintances did use

drugs just about every day.

(d) When asked to estimate how many of Stevenson’s 4600 students were drug users

the three students just mentioned stated 300, 500 and 1000. None of the other

students felt they could offer an estimate because they knew very little about drug

usage here.

(e) All fifteen students agreed that stealing is a serious problem both in and around

school.

2. We should also comment on #16, Continually disruptive students should be transferred out. When we tallied up the surveys we were surprised at the large number of ‘Not Sure’ responses to this statement. So we discussed this also at one of our meetings.

In attendance that day were three students who had checked off ‘Not Sure’. When asked

why, all three had the same concern. They did not want the disruptive students to be thrown out of school and forgotten about; they wanted to be sure these young people would be able to go to another program that might better meet their needs. All three agreed that continually disruptive students should be transferred out of the building as long as the Board of Ed would still try to help them.

D. While the graph on the preceding page indicates the percentage of students who were

satisfied with each of the surveyed categories, the circle graph on the following page

illustrates the percentage of school categories which received a passing grade (at least

65%) from the students.

To be specific, that portion of the circle which is shaded represents the proportion of

evaluated areas which received a satisfactory student rating.

Proportion of Categories Rated SATISFACTORY by Students

(satisfactory ‘equals’ shaded)

(Reminder: So far at least we have not figured out how to replicate the graphs. I will tell you that the circle graph was a large blank circle - no shading whatsoever. RD-2014)

Section Two: Student Writings

A good number of the teachers who distributed the checklist form to their students had made it clear that they would not be able to participate in the second part, i.e. having the students submit an essay entitled ‘The Ideal High School’.

But quite a few were able to; and thus, we received approximately six hundred and twenty compositions. In addition, there were written comments on about one hundred and forty of the returned checklist sheets.

Note: We have tried to be fair in these presentations. Meaning; if nine out of ten comments in this report seem to be espousing a particular viewpoint, then approximately 90% of the total commentary on that subject offered that same general opinion in the survey results.

Note: In both the second and third sections we have omitted staff names when the comments were

unfavorable.

Note: Students’ names are indicated below what they have written. Accompanying letters and/or

numbers refer to the class that student was in during the spring ’86 term. The other name is their

teacher’s.

COUNSELING

“I feel guidance counselors are rude to freshmen. I once wanted to talk to a guidance counselor,
and since I was new I didn’t know who my counselor was. Anytime I asked someone for help,
they would get very snotty with me and send me to the wrong person. I never went back because
of that.”

A. Alvarado EE02 Anderson

“My guidance counselor is very nice, but there are other counselors who always have an
attitude. They are supposed to help (students) to graduate and to solve whatever problems
they have, not ignore them.

Jennifer Pagan EE22 Anderson

“(We need) more guidance counselors. When we go and see them, they are always busy and don’t have time to see us.”

Jose Espinell

“Counselors, when you need them the most because of some error or some mistake they have made,
are never available. They make you wait, and when they call you down it is already too late to be helped.”

Maria Gonzalez C05

“We need more guidance counselors because they could help more students and spend more time
on (students’) personal problems. For example, a friend of mine had this big problem with his
parents, but he did not want to go to the guidance counselor because he feels that they do not give
him special time for him to explain his problem.”

Dennise Montero

Let’s say a teenager had severe family problems. Naturally, he couldn’t turn to them (family) for
help. His friends may not see an adult’s point of view, so his friends’ advice may not help. Lastly, there’s school. Guidance counselors are there to help. If counselors are not there to help, teenagers might take the wrong way out, most likely the easiest way. I figure the ideal school would have enough counselors so teenagers can do better in school instead of dropping out.”

Mary E. LaMountain E72

“Counselors should be more attentive to students. Sometimes there are several students who need
help and the counselors don’t want to be bothered.”

Judith Nunez

“The ideal high school would have a guidance counselor who has time for you.”

Lisa Oreuana E64 Barrett

They are always throwing students out and never have time to see us. They’re always busy with

something else.

Jacqueline Cordero E62 Barrett

“There should be more guidance help. If there are 5000 students how in the world are fifteen
guidance helpers going to be able to see you when you need them?!"

Michael Simmons C94

“The ideal school is a school with understanding guidance counselors. I feel a guidance counselor

should sit and speak to the students. They should listen to what a student has to say.”

Gina Huber

ON CURRICULUM AND PROGRAMMING

“A high school would be ideal if we weren’t required (to take) so much toward graduation. I think it’s

unfair for students to be required to take gym even if they don’t need it for their future. Students should

only take classes that they need…But why gym? We should only take it if we want to. Most of us

exercise on our own. Why should we get so smelly and go to our other classes like that?! We are

required eight terms of gym and the only one that’s important for our future is Hygiene.”

Yadira Valentin

“I feel that gym is a waste of time; you learn useless things. It should be optional. Having a driving

course is more educational and more effective in preparing for life.”

Maribel Lopez EE82 Zeitlin

“The ideal school is one in which the guidance counselors don’t take a year to change one of your

classes.”

Fernando Polanco B19 Snitkin

“Over the past three years that I have been in Stevenson I have yet to go a term without having a

program change of one kind or another. At one time I had six program changes in a time spanning only

two months.”

Kewyn Baptiste E62 Barrett

(Kewyn again) “At the beginning of every term you can always find a line of students waiting to see a

guidance counselor. We need more guidance personnel. We have six thousand students in Stevenson

and less than twenty guidance people to see to their needs. It just can’t be done! Get some new

counselors, get the programs straight for once; we, the students of Stevenson, beg of you.” KB

“The ideal high school would be a school where there aren’t so many mistakes regarding students’

attendance, programs, and grades. The guidance counselors make so many mistakes it is ridiculous, and sometimes aggravating. Sometimes guidance counselors, or the computers, give you a class that you don’t need or you already had. Then they give you the dumb little sheets of paper and tell you to fill it out and either give it to your section teacher or slip it under your guidance counselor’s door. Then you have to wait weeks for them to call you down to their office. Meanwhile you are sitting up in this class that you are not going to get any credit for because you already had it.

Then your program change comes through; but you can’t pass the class now because it is well

into the second marking period. Then your guidance counselor tells you to work extra hard and try to

pass the third marking period. But you don’t, and you have to take the class all over again; not because

it was your fault, but because it was the school’s fault. And all they can tell you is to take it again and

try to pass it this time.

When you could have passed it the first time if you would have been put in the class you were

supposed to be.”

Tawana Washington Barrett

“I think that, since I started the ninth grade here, I have always had to get a program change. I have

never been able to get the classes I asked for.”

Alexandra Freire EB66 Barrett (grade 11)

“The programming in Stevenson really stinks. You cannot get the classes you want because of a lack of counselors. To improve this we should hire more counselors and form a special programming system to help students get the classes they request.”

Roger Persaud

“The ideal school would have classes that really deal with the outside world and how it is going to be

when you get out; and the school should have more courses training you in what you want to do when

you leave school.”

William Mitchell E43

“The last thing I think should be improved is the electives for students. As it is, there aren’t enough. I

think students would be willing to learn if they had a certain choice of classes.

Sammy Ortiz E64 Barrett

“In my ideal high school we would have many subjects dealing more with life. Teachers should teach

students things that they can use for their lives after high school. Students should learn about other

peoples’ customs, traditions, and language.”

Fatima Macias EE83 Budiansky

“…the strong effort of guidance counselors to give the students subjects that would be of benefit to

them…give the student the opportunity to choose the subjects that he wants.”

Andrea Tater

“…more variety in the selection of classes, and if a class is interesting that may propel a student to do

better. ….having students’ programs correct as soon as possible, preferably the first time they get them.

It would really make things easier on the students and counselors.”

Keith Y.

“They will have to fix the computers or concentrate on what they were doing. They should give the

right schedule to the students (and not) let the students go crazy.”

Benjamin Martinez

“I strongly feel that we really don’t need classes that they have given us. For example, let’s say they

give you Wood. What is a woodshop necessary for in the future unless they are going into that field?!

And when they give us classes that we already passed – when we go to our guidance counselors they

say, ‘Well, you have to stay in that class because we don’t have anywhere to put you.’ I feel that this

school should shape up.”

Janet Santiago E64 Barrett

“We do not have a large variety of electives from which we can choose. All we really have are

industrial arts electives such as Mechanical Drawing or Auto Shop. This is not fair because not all

students are interested in taking these things. Guidance counselors usually add them to your program

and tell you it is a requirement for your graduation. If the school were to have more electives it would

make it easier for everyone, because they will have a chance to choose something they are interested in.”

George Mercado D04

“I think gym is not necessary. We have enough fitness going up and down the stairs and walking long

hallways. Gym only makes you sweat and feel uncomfortable. If a school had showers it would be

something different. In place of gym, my ideal school would have fitness classes and nutrition classes,

as well as hygiene.”

Maria Guzman

“One of the few changes I would like to emphasize is the scheduling of programs. Some guidance

counselors place classes on students’ programs when some (already) passed those classes. I feel a

school should have good staff members in the guidance complex who knew what students need to take.”

George Gres, Jr. C92G

“Better programming is needed in this school. This school could screw up a whole term if you don’t say anything. They give you courses you don’t even need, and when you need a program change you have to wait a month before the change goes through.”

Roland Cruz Barrett

“The guidance counselors usually give students classes that they don’t need. They mess up our

programs by giving us classes that we already took; and when we go to see them, they don’t have time

for us. The classes that a student wants, he doesn’t get.”

Sunida R.

“Students should be able to pick who they want as teachers, and students should be able to pick out their own schedule.”

Anthony Jaiman Schleider

“Gym needs to be taken out of schools. It’s not that gym is really that bad. The point is that we should

be taking a more important subject that will benefit us in life. If we want to play, after school we can go outside and play.”

Loriene Williams Johnson

“In order for students to feel happy in school they must be satisfied with the courses they are taking.

The curriculum must include a variety of classes. The programming should be made so that a student

can take a class that he/she likes. Then the students would be interested in going to class.”

Fanny Rincon

“Some counselors forget about giving you the required classes for graduating until the very last minute.

I think this isn’t fair to the Seniors, who are looking forward to graduating (at the proper time).”

Dulce Gonzalez

“There are many students in high school who are expecting to graduate and at the last moment are told

that they can’t because they owe one or two classes.”

Kevin Bernard

“Better programming is a must in this school. This term I just found out that I was in the wrong Math

class and had to be changed. I mean come on! I graduate next year. I cannot afford to make a mistake

now.”

Jacqueline Ferrera C03F

“More computers in the near future would certainly improve schools since computers are taking over. It would be great in preparing students when they go out into the work force, rather than taking courses

which will be of no use to that person later in life.

Tonya Monique Prince EE82 Zeitlin

ON OVERCROWDING

“When the bell rings and classes change it’s like Grand Central Station. It is very difficult to go from

class to class when it is crowded like this.”

J. Jackson

“It’s too crowded. If you step on someone’s sneakers they want to kick your a…!”

V.N. B32J

“Most of the time the stairways and hallways are packed with people. You practically have to push the

people to try to get to your next class.”

Maribel Lopez EE72 Moser

“When you walk through the halls it is like a fly trying to get out of a web.”

Diana Perez EE02 S. Johnson

“Because Stevenson is packed I sometimes get to class late. You try to avoid bumping into the other

students, but at the same time trying to get to class as quickly as possible. Doing this every day is a

hassle.”

Carmen Cruz EE02 S. Johnson

“There are too many students in the school – you can hardly walk through the hallway. When you come in in the morning, they only have one door open. That’s why students can’t make it to class on time.”

Rhonda Jordan C07G

“This school is very crowded, and it’s impossible to make it to class on time if one is on the first floor

and has to go to the fourth floor.”

Beatriz Hernandez EB66 Barrett

“We also need more time to get to our classes. After all, the school is crowded and we can’t push over

people to get to our classes. The teachers get mad at us, and we don’t even mean to be late.”

Ninette Lane EE82 Zeitlin

“Another idea is a less crowded school so there is less chance of people getting injured in case of a fire

because people will get out a lot faster. And people will also get to class much faster because they

won’t have to be dodging or stopping because people are in their way.”

Jaime Maldonado

“No pushing and shoving to get to class because my ideal high school will not be overcrowded like

Stevenson.”

William Mitchell E43

ON RESPECTING STUDENTS’ NEEDS AND OPINIONS

“I think it would be ideal if they opened more doors in the mornings. It isn’t fair to us if we arrive to

school on time and get to class late all because there aren’t enough doors open.

(Also) I think we deserve just a little more respect of our opinions.”

Yadira Valentin

“The ideal high school has teachers who understand what we go through and remember when they

themselves were in our places.”

Kathy Baum Anderson

“Most teachers have a good attitude towards the students, but some of them don’t give two pennies

towards the feelings of us students. Teachers should realize that some students have hard teachers to

deal with from other classes, and other responsibilities, like a job or something after school. So they

shouldn’t be too quick to judge without being open-minded. Some of them act as if their’s is the only

class we go to.

The time we have to get from one class to another is terrible because it’s way too short, and

sometimes you have to stay a minute or two longer to complete the notes from the board.

We need a school that will listen and try to understand that we, the students, also have problems,

and we also have goals in life.”

Richard Rodriguez EE02 S. Johnson

“Teachers should take the time and show concern for students. The teachers should listen to the students and take what they say into consideration. The teachers of today don’t seem to care and don’t listen to students. Some feel that ‘a student is a child and we teachers are adults and what we say goes.’ This is true only to a certain extent. This is why the students are so bad. At times the students get tired of just listening to the teacher. Why should we (listen to them) if the teachers won’t listen to us, for what we say is just as important?! If the teachers would just care to listen and take what we say into

consideration and not think we lie all the time – the students are humans too. We have good and bad

days just like the teachers do. But the teachers feel we are young, too young to have problems. This

isn’t true though. After all, problems have no special age.

If Stevenson was an ideal high school the students would be willing to learn.”

Ninette Lane EE82 Zeitlin

“We will be able to pick the teachers who we want to teach us, and the teachers would be more

understanding to the students…The students will have more say-so.”

Paula Pencle C04 Schleider

“A great and almost unnoticed problem in Stevenson is the disrespect of students by teachers.

Sometimes teachers take advantage of their authority by talking to students in a loud, FOUL, and

unreasonable manner. This should be cut out so that respect between teachers and students can be

gained. “

Mark Hedgemond

“The school should have a wide curriculum, a wide variety of courses that appeal to the students’

interests, as well as the students’ needs. The cafeteria should have better lunches, of course, a neater

lunchroom with a pleasant courtyard we can all use. The school should be safe with good security, as

long as they don’t hassle the students.”

Alexander Rivera E H81

“…have an assembly every month to find out what the students want and don’t want. Students make a

school, and if you don’t listen to students you have no school!”

Rita Martinez EE02 S. Johnson

“Showers that work because people after gym don’t like to walk around smelly and sweaty.”

Edwin Tubens Moser

“The school must give the students some freedom. For example, this school doesn’t give the students

the freedom of going where they want at lunchtime. Also, I feel that the rule of ‘no walkmans in school’ is nonsense. I would let the students have their walkmans but use it during their free time. I wouldn’t take that privilege away from them.

In the ideal high school the guidance counselors would serve for the students’ school problems, yet at

the same time be a friend. In this school I feel the counselors are just there to get paid. They do their

jobs like they don’t care.”

Zulma Ortiz ET65 Schleider

“The food in the cafeteria isn’t the greatest. The hamburgers are made up of meat that is probably dog

meat.”

Garrett Loveless EE22

“The ideal school has lockers for students so that they don’t have to carry tons of books each day.”

Christine Ruiz E82

“Some of the teachers are like friends to me. You can talk about your problems and he or she will help

you out.”

Carmen Cruz EE02 S. Johnson

“As for teacher-student relations, much has to be said. Teachers can be more respectful towards

students. Teachers have mocked, humiliated, and scholastically threatened students. For a student to do well he must be at ease in his environment (class). He or she cannot live in fear. For example, students may not want to raise their hand (to talk) for fear of being called stupid.”

Carlos Joseph Snitkin

“I would like my ideal high school to be fun, not like Stevenson. The only time you have fun in

Stevenson is when you’re leaving the building… The teachers wouldn’t rule all over you. The classes

you take will be the ones you choose, and if you didn’t understand something they would take time with you and explain it, not get an attitude.”

Veronica Husby EE02-04 Ms. Johnson

“Let’s face it, the lunches in this school are ‘Pfew’! I personally feel that food should be used for health

purposes and not for our laboratory experiments.”

Alex Martino EV81-01 Shapiro

“The bathrooms should be sprayed with something that makes them smell better. I am scared that I will

get germs in this schools’ bathrooms. And the boys’ locker room smells like it is never cleaned. It

should be mopped at least once a week for the better health of the students.”

Jose Casas C15Y

“Students should have the classes that they need and drop the ones that they don’t need…Finally, a

school should be able to help students who want to drop out of school.”

Sarah Rivas C76

“My ideal school would have better educational representation, good sports, and national culture.”

Emmanuel Hernandez Ms. Carrasquillo

“Adlai E. Stevenson is a good school because when you walk in the halls they’re clean, and some

teachers are respectful.”

Edgar Morales EE03-04 S. Johnson

“The ideal high school should be fair and square. No fancy stuff. Just things that might interest

twentieth century students. School chancellors, Board of Education presidents, principals, and

teachers should be a little more caring for their students. Good schools shouldn’t be in just one or two

areas; they should be everywhere.”

Vanessa Juarbe A05 Johnson

“I would improve Stevenson by thinking of the students as well as the teachers… giving them courses

that will help them in the future, not just courses that will make them eligible for graduation.”

Yvette Samuel

“I feel it is wrong for a teacher to verbally abuse a student and also for a student to verbally abuse a

teacher. When a teacher and student have an argument the teacher always writes the student up on a

referral and puts down what the student said to (the teacher). But the teachers never write what they’ve

said to the student to make the student upset. In order for the teachers to get respect they have to show

it, and the same goes for the students too.”

Nicole Love E64 Barrett

“There is the same problem with the teachers. Some are nice, and some are such grouches.”

Jennifer Pagan EE22 Anderson

“My idea of the ideal high school is a school with respect. And caring teachers… The teachers could

wear jeans and sneakers. They can look fresh. They would bug out with the students, just like Mr. C.

McCormack does. But still there would be great respect between the teacher and the students.”

Annette Olmo A41T

“I also feel we should have better counseling and teaching. I also feel that a student should be able to

pick 4 out of 9 of his classes for his program. If a student picks his own classes there will be no

complaints. Because nobody knows where he belongs better than the student!”

Al Irizarry Sweet

“A student can’t learn, and a teacher can’t teach, without having respect and attention for and from one

another… We should have more time to get from class to class. It’s very aggravating having to sign the

late log every day because you don’t have enough time to change after gym. It also takes away learning time for the student.”

Sammy Ortiz E64 Barrett

“The bathrooms are disgusting. It gets me sick to see toilet paper on the ceilings. You can’t even wash

your hands because there’s no water. There’s no toilet paper and it stinks. I understand that the students have made it this way, but if the janitors cleaned them daily they wouldn’t look this way. I feel there should be a person to sit in the bathrooms and watch each student.

About what goes on in the classrooms with teachers and students, there should be a lot of respect

between them. I’ve seen many teachers talk to these students as if they didn’t have feelings. Then the

teachers complain that the students have no respect. I feel if a teacher doesn’t want to deal with kids

he/she shouldn’t teach.”

E. Pagan ET65 Schleider

“Students should be able to voice their opinions more, because if there is anyone who knows what things should be corrected, it’s the students! I’m not saying we know everything about the school, but we should have a voice when suggestions are necessary, and certainly when things are not going right!”

Tonya Barnes E62 Barrett

“This school is so overcrowded that people are pushing each other to get to class, and this causes

fights…We need more effective rules, agreed upon by the staff and the students. The students in this

school feel that they are being deprived of their rights. Teachers do not give enough attention to each

student. Maybe if there was more attention you would have fewer disruptive students… Students are

always complaining about the counseling, so people should listen up, and do something about it, instead of waiting until the student gets fed up and drops out of school. There’s plenty to be done in this school, so teachers and other staff should start talking and doing something about the problem.”

- Muriel Smith Mulford

“In the ideal school students’ rights which are reasonable are always granted. In many schools that is

not true. One school where that is definitely not true is Stevenson. Here, at lunchtime, a time when

students are supposed to rest and eat with their friends, many friends are split up because of a ridiculous

rule that states – if your program card is green you are to report to one cafeteria and if your program

card is red you are to go to another cafeteria. That outrageous rule affects many students in a negative

way because many students are separated from their friends, which makes lunch very boring. That type

of thing will never happen in the ‘Ideal High School.’

-Anthony Moore EH81 Snitkin

“One way to improve the school is to have more than one door open when the students are coming into

the school in the morning. It’s obvious that it’s going to take more time than it should to get to our class

after trying to get through one door with hundreds of students. That’s not convenient at all. Students

may even get hurt trying to get through the door because there are students pushing and shoving and

stepping on each other.”

- Nina Vanegas EE82 Zeitlin

“I get lunch 6th period, and by the time I get down to the lunchroom it looks like ‘who did it and

came back and did it again.’ I think it is very disgusting for a place that you eat in to look like

that.

Another is the way teachers talk to students. I admit that sometimes a student is wrong, but a

teacher could be wrong in some cases too. But either way the dean, or even the parents, will take

the teacher’s side. I think that is wrong. When you talk with someone you talk with respect, and

if you don’t there becomes a conflict.”

Rhondesia Jones Mulford

“Teachers should also listen to students instead of putting them down. I’m not saying all of

them, but the majority don’t (listen)…There should also be better counseling… There’s also the

bathroom problem. If a student has to go then they should be given that privilege to go. No

teacher has the right to say ‘no’. Also, more bathrooms should be open. Going around the

whole building trying to find an open bathroom is no merry-go-round.”

J. McCray Barrett JB6602

“I think the school should better itself by cleaning up the bathrooms and the gym lockers. The

bathrooms are all dirty and stinky. They’re very disgusting. The gym lockers as well are dirty.”

Jessica Lowe EB 66 Barrett

“…copy papers to keep, clean desks to sit and write at, and clean ladies bathrooms. School is

not supposed to look all glamorous, but at least let us feel comfortable.”

Wanda Sloan

ON SAFETY AND ORDERLINESS

“The school should be more strict with those students who are always cutting. I feel the guards

don’t always do a good job. No matter who the person is, if they don’t have a pass they should

be taken to the dean. If security was improved and teachers cared more, I’m sure this school

would shape up.”

Brenda Melendez CO8J

“I wish the high school I go to was really nice. When I say nice I mean no criminal activity,

smoking, or doing drugs. If I went to a school that was like that I would rarely be absent. I

would like it to have a nice country surrounding. That would really be nice, and I wouldn’t have

to worry about getting stuck up, or getting anything stolen from me. I would walk freely through

the school without any worries.”

Michael Casasnovas EE2202 Sweet

“The ideal high school to me is a clean one and one that you can walk around in without the fear

that you will be robbed or killed.”

Sonia Alicea A32I

“Some of the students give the teachers problems. This takes time away from the others who

want to learn, because (the teacher) has to talk to him. If it wasn’t for so many wise guys

Stevenson would really be better.”

Lisa Darden Carter

“(Students) who didn’t want to learn would have to be expelled.”

Brian Palmer Sweet

“The security guards should be alert at all times. Not like the bums they’re hiring now. All they

do is rap to the girls. They don’t even check the program cards anymore. Anyone could walk in.

That’s why the students always get ripped off.”

Pagan ET65 Schleider

“There should also be a more efficient way of student identification, such as picture ID’s. This

would definitely crack down on the numbers of intruders who can easily get into the school by

just showing a schedule. Anyone can get access to a student schedule if they wanted to go inside

a school.”

Tonya Barnes E62 Barrett

“We should have ID cards with pictures on them. This way nobody can give her program to

somebody else to come in and rob somebody or sell drugs.”

Jose Espinell

“Keeping away students who are a bad influence, students who come to school to cut and mess

up all the other students who want to make an effort in all their work and want to do well in

school.”

Maria Gonzalez CO5

“We really need (better security) because sometimes I feel a little afraid of some of my

classmates and of the people that come to this school. They are not really students like us; they

don’t really come here to learn. Sometimes I think they just come here to spend their time or just

to be out of their houses.

There should be a special school for these students. They are not a good influence for us. They

need help so that they would be good people and have a goal. They can become successful.”

Roxanne Lucero

“I entered this school (about two months ago). I have seen some of the most disrespectful young

people that I ever saw. They just don’t care. They will curse at you, call you names and threaten

you. It’s really a shame. I hope they realize it before it’s too late.”

Renee Johnson EE42 Mulford

“Stevenson should enforce the rules on drug abuse more. On the first day of school I saw this

guy taking coke. I wanted to transfer out, but I gave it a chance. Kids like that give Stevenson a

bad name. Those are the kids who Stevenson should kick out. We should all make this a school

to look up to.”

Lisa Cruzado S. Johnson EE02

“The principal has the responsibility to show some kind of discipline to students who break

school rules.”

Nicholas Diaz CO3 Moser

“When you go to school you should not have to think about anyone robbing you or something of

that nature. When a person goes to school, they should have nothing to worry about – just their

education.”

Theresa Moore EE83 Budiansky

“The guards would be respected as long as they respect the students. They should be our friends,

but our grown-up friends, not our kid friends who act immature like some of the students. They

should use their power wisely.”

John Zeitlin

“When the teacher is giving class and there’s a student bothering, I think they should send him to

the dean’s office so that we can learn something.”

Madellin Montalvo B11J Moser

“The ideal high school should not have students who are continually disruptive in class. They

should be transferred out or suspended from school because if they are kept in class the other

students won’t be able to learn anything in that class.”

Cynthia Dominguez EE02

“There should be better security. People should be able to wear their jewelry, furs and leathers

to school without worrying about getting it taken from them.”

McCray EB6602 Barrett

“There wouldn’t be a lot of drugs and criminals in my ideal high school because people do not

buy things just for other people to come up to you and steal them.”

John S.

“The ideal high school starts with the ideal students. Those who want to learn learn. Those who

want to joke and hang out do it elsewhere. Students with horrible attendance records should not

be allowed to participate in school activities, let alone school period.”

Carlos Joseph Snitkin

“Security in the school is very important, but you need a system that doesn’t harass the students

into an argument.”

Henry Canteen Moser

“Drug dealers enroll in our school because they know kids in Stevenson are always looking for

the big high. They don’t have to enroll because a student will get a free ‘high’ for the use of

their program card. I do hope we get new (picture) ID cards so Stevenson will have less drug

corruption and self-destruction.”

Tangie Nelson Barrett

“My idea of a perfect high school is not Adlai E. Stevenson. My idea of a perfect high school is

a safe one. I mean one you can come to with no problem, put your books in your locker without

coming back and finding your stuff gone. Also, you can walk through the halls without being

robbed… … a place where students respect teachers and teachers respect students.”

Dean Allen EE03-05 S. Johnson

“…a school where everyone is treated equal, including the teachers. Where there are no drug

dealers…I would like to enjoy going to school. I don’t want to attend a low-class school with

juvenile delinquents.”

Steven Spraggins A25C Anderson

“There should be more respect between teachers and students. But you have to admit that there

are a lot of students who don’t respect their teachers, and this shouldn’t be. These students who

don’t respect their teachers, who curse at them and scream at them, should be transferred out to

somewhere else.”

Lizette Torres Barrett EB66

“When classes are in session, there continues to be students roaming the halls. These students

make a lot of noise, which disturbs the kids that wish to learn.”

Acacia Hoque EE02

“First of all the school should get rid of all it’s truants by transferring them to another school.

They are what are holding (us) back from being ideal. They are also the ones who go around the

school hallways banging on doors and disturbing classes.”

George Mercado D04

“In high school kids get away with murder. Murder is coming anytime of the day they wish.

Murder is also when one of the kids does something drastic and only gets suspended for a few

days.”

Terri Francis E83 Budiansky

“If anyone is caught doing graffiti on the walls, they should make that person(s) pay the school

so they can paint over it.”

Jemal Bradley EE03-05 S. Johnson

ON STUDENT ATTENDANCE AND DROPPING OUT

*Almost all the student criticisms give insights into why daily attendance rates are too low and

drop out rates too high, but the following represent specific student comments on the subject(s):

“Students find school very boring, and that’s one of the leading reasons that students don’t attend

school.”

Victor Ortiz EE42 Donohue

“The ideal school must contain a program for teenage mothers and a program for pupils who are

confronting problems pertaining to drugs. This is an essential step because it can reduce the drop

out rate…The program will focus primarily on helping the students to cope with their problems

instead of running away and solving them by dropping out.”

Elizabeth Quiles

“Students are always complaining about the counseling. So people should listen up, and do

something about it, instead of waiting until the student gets fed up and drops out of school.”

Muriel Smith Milford

“The reason why most students lose interest is the teacher of the class they might be cutting is

not doing anything to have fun and learn at the same time. If each teacher added fun to the

learning there would be a great deal of kids coming to class and school.

Marcus Carpentiere A19 Anderson

“Students should be able to decide which classes they want to take. Most students wind up with

a class they don’t want or think they don’t need, and they decide to cut.”

Maria Rodriguez EE02 Johnson

“Teachers give no encouragement to their pupils. That’s the reason so many cut classes.”

David Daniel Mulford

“Many students don’t want to sit in a classroom for forty-five minutes and listen to a boring

teacher. If it’s during the spring they especially don’t attend.”

Taze Miskol Budiansky

“I figure the ideal school would have enough counselors so students would do better in school

instead of dropping out.

In many school the major problem is control of the students. This is usually because teachers

don’t make their classes interesting. As a result, students tend to ‘break out.’

Mary. E. LaMountain E72

“Many students aren’t academically bright but are very good in other subjects. Many drop out

because their talents aren’t recognized. Teachers should make an extra effort to encourage their

students.”

Lanif Lopez H41-02

“Maybe the reason for the high drop-out percentage is that the kids just can’t handle it. School

give kids a lot of stress. And depression.

If the schools would not be so demanding and competitive, maybe when we graduate we could

remember our high school years as fun, a good time, and educational – instead of dull, boring

and stressful.”

Dinorah Steiner A10

“There is also too much pressure between teachers and students, which might cause excessive

absences; since the student is upset at the teacher he may not show up for class.”

Carl Purnell

“Guidance counselors usually add (courses that students are not interested in) to your program

and tell you that it is a requirement for graduation. Because of this we have so many truants.”

George Mercado D04

“I think teachers should at least try to make classes not so boring. A major reason why students

cut or don’t come at all is that the classes are too dull. There’s no life in them.”

Jacqueline Cordero E62 Barrett

“If the schools would think about helping the druggies and not give up on them maybe they

would continue high school.”

Niva Rivera Budiansky

“In order for students to feel happy in school they must be satisfied with the courses they are

taking. The programming should be made so that a student can take a class that he/she likes.

Then the students would be interested in going to class. This would reduce the number of

students who cut class.”

Fanny Rincon

“I would have students get what subject they want because they would be interested in the class

and there would be more people in class.”

Jorell Brand

“Attendance would be better if students and teachers established good communication between

each other. School would be a place where students know they play a great role in developing

rules and regulations.”

Nicole Sainten EE83 Budiansky

“If the school had air conditioning maybe the students would come to class more. I really hate to

sit in a classroom and sweat. It is very uncomfortable.”

Frances DeAngelis EE43 Moser

“Another thing that would make a school ideal is air conditioning in all classrooms. More

students would attend classes instead of cutting. That’s one of the major reasons why students

cut when it gets very hot. I guarantee anyone that if in the summer they installed air

conditioner(s), the attendance percentage would increase.”

Maribel Lopez EE82 Zeitlin

“There are not enough special programs. If the drop-outs saw that we would change the old

programs to special programs, they would realize that dropping out was a big mistake.”

Mark Rosas

“If I had the power to do what I felt, it would benefit all teenagers. I would use most of the fund

money to buy luxuries for the students. There would be wall-to-wall carpeting on every floor.

Modern furniture would be in all classrooms and air conditioning would be provided to make the

students more comfortable while learning. There would also be mirrors and piped-in music in

the hallways. Instead of a lunchroom there would be a French restaurant, with waiters. The

students would have about two hours for lunch. The programs for their classes would work

around their schedule. The activities for gym would include roller skating, swimming, volleyball

and basketball.

If Stevenson had these things it would be the best school in the United States. All the students

would love to come to school, and there would be fewer dropouts.”

Tanya Richardson Atlkinson

“I would have more activities and more communication between students and teachers. Make

the learning in school more exciting. School would be a place to have fun, learn and gain

understanding about life and each other…learn to be more friendly with each other. After all, if

you are in school, everybody is like a family.

I would make the lunchroom more than just a place to have lunch; it’s a place to relax and enjoy

yourself. I would put in music, make it bigger, and have like a MacDonalds.

I think students would enjoy and learn better and cut less”

Mildred A. Moser

“The ideal high school is one that turns out winners, people who will succeed. The ideal high

school would feel like a home away from home. We should have carpeting and student lounges,

where they can get things to eat, like Chinese food or a Big Mac. And play music. There

should also be a pool where kids can go in their free time, and maybe they might form a club or

something like that.

We should also have showers in the locker rooms. We should have a lawn with flowers and a

garden for students who like that kind of thing. We should also have more variety of courses, for

example cosmetology. And elevators for students.

The ideal high school is one where everyone would respect each other; and where they would

want to come and not feel they are being made to. The ideal high school should be a place where

people go to work, as well as have fun. I am sure if we did have such a school, we would have

more people graduating and fewer dropping out.”

Viva Brown Budiansky

ON SCHOOL TONE/ATMOSPHERE

“Teachers should try to know what each student is like”

Marcus Carpentiere EE02 Anderson

“The ideal school for me would be to have strict teachers, and classmates who care about a future

career. This will create a pleasant atmosphere and will inspire you to study harder.”

Brenda L. Rivera EE83 Budiansky

“My ideal school would be where the students respect the teachers and vice versa. Students

actually do not respect the teachers; they go around playing and paying no attention to the

teachers. Students should be respectful so that they can be respected by others.

My school would also be very clean. It would have no graffiti on the walls. The floors would be

shiny and clean, with no paper on the floor; because a nice classroom encourages students to

learn better.”

Fatima Macias EE83 Budiansky

“The ideal high school should have wall-to-wall carpeting; so that not only visitors can be

impressed, but I too, as a student, can feel good about how it will look.”

Al Irizarry Sweet

“The ideal high school has a great deal of school spirit. Without it, high school would be a

terribly boring place to be. And when there is pride, people want to keep their school clean and

make it look good. Also, they should show more accomplishments of the students, past and

present.”

A good relationship between teachers and students, a kind of mutual respect, makes an ideal

school. Lunch doesn’t really make a school good, but it can make it better.

A good, caring teacher can make a whole lot of difference. A school isn’t a building made up of

people, but people inside a building learning how to get a better future.”

James Jack E65 S. Johnson

“The ideal high school would be one that students are willing to take care of as if it were their

own home…Students would make sure that nothing happens to the school, because if the school

looks bad then the students look bad.”

Alexandra Freire EB66 Barrett

“The ideal high school should treat its students like they were the most important people

around.”

Antoinette Jusino H. Moser

“Ideal high schools should be all over so everyone wouldn’t have to compete to get into them

and could just go to their zoned school instead of traveling so far. The number one rule is for

everyone to be considered special…no competition between acting tough and cooler or dressing

with the most expensive clothing, etc. School is for education, not for looks. Teachers need to

know more about students and make more of a variety of classes to choose from. WE choose

what we feel is best…The ideal school should let students know when they come to a weakness

so we can shape up and improve.

The ideal high school should have more activities. They should give each grade special trips and

dances, etc., not only Senior trips but Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors as well. If some

teachers feel that a particular student isn’t ready to handle responsibilities, choose those who are.

It’s only fair. Not because of other people should the well-behaved be deprived of special

attractions.

An ideal high school is what it should be called. It would surely make everyone look forward to

going to high school. Make everyone special and let them keep this perception in mind at all

times.”

Theresa Garcia EE0305 S. Johnson

“Students should be given more freedom. We should be allowed to use the school lockers. We

should have a swimming pool. We should have more soda machines, better lunches, be allowed

to go out on the patios. We should be given more time to get from place to place. A school like

this would be very good and encouraging.

We should be given freedom but always remembering that we come to school for a certain

purpose. We come here to learn.”

Israel Pena Ms. Moser

“The ideal school is one where it is a pleasure to come to..clean…teachers are nice…and you

won’t be afraid of anyone harassing you. The principal, the students, and teachers all get along

and make up the school rules together.”

Wendy Colon Johnson

“…a school with clean people and a school with no drugs. I would love to be in a school like

that. A school with respectful teachers. Not snotty, not nasty with students, and not soft.”

Shannon Sims LaSusa

“The ideal high school is a place where you can come to learn without any problems. A place

where people tell you if you’re going to fail a subject before it happens and it’s too late for the

student to do anything about it. It should almost be like a home away from home. It doesn’t

have to be just like home, but students should feel safe and be able to work in peace and

comfort.”

Abraham Sylcott

“Respect, not just between teachers and students, but also between students. The ideal school

would have to be one which the students and staff looked forward to, not dreaded, going to. The

learning atmosphere would have to be one without the presence of favoritism or prejudice. In

my opinion there is no ideal high school to be found in New York State; and, if my opinion is

fact, then it is extremely sad.”

Nicole Adams

“I can see the ideal high school now. It’s so pretty on the outside, no writing on the walls and

the paint is still new and fresh looking. The flag is flown high showing Honor to our country.

The inside is clean and the floors are swept. Every hallway is clear of students because they are

all in class like they should be, doing their work. No one in this school fights because there is

respect between the teachers and the students. The students are satisfied with the school because

there’s never any mistakes made with their programs and teachers are understanding and as

helpful as they’re supposed to be. The teachers are satisfied with the school because the students

don’t come late, and they try their best in class like they’re supposed to.”

Jackie Torruella ET65-02

“A very neat and clean place on the outside, and when you go inside it’s even nicer than you

would have imagined. Everything will be in order. All the students will be in the classes they

want to be in, because the guidance counselors made sure of it. The teachers will be busy

teaching the students new things, and both the teacher and the student will be enjoying it. The

security guards will not have to roam around the hall every period. The students will act mature

and respectful. They will take their education seriously, and they will learn.”

Naressa Khan EE72 C92G

“My perception of an ideal high school is a school that has many educational programs and

athletic facilities…wide variety of courses in a clean environment which can prepare a young

person to be a responsible human being in a school or wherever he or she may be. A staff that

understands, listens, and tries to help the students. Also, a school which recognizes and gives

some kind of award to the students that put in some of their time, effort, and ability, to help

improve the school. These such students are the tutors, athletes, assistants, musicians and actors.

An ideal school also provides excellent equipment and facilities for the athletes; such as good

equipment, nice locker rooms, and a good playing field that doesn’t have rocks and glass on it.”

John Negron

“Courtesy is another thing. In the ideal school it would be practiced often. Deans, teachers, and

security guards will respect students; not yell, harass, or act toward students in an unscrupulous

manner. In turn students will respect the teachers and do as they are nicely asked to do. … a

high school that is safe and pleasant. Students from far and wide will want to come to this

school.”

Marlene Brown Barrett

“Where is the ideal school? There is no such place. I think it is up to the students and school

staff to make a school ideal.”

Evelyn Chivero

“The ideal high school for me is where everything is good, and everybody is learning, including

the teachers. Everybody in the school should have respect for one another. And treat one

another like brothers and sisters. And teachers look upon the students as their children, and also

the students should look up to the teachers like mothers and fathers. Everybody in the school

should be trustworthy, honest, decent, respectable, kind and always willing to lend a hand to

someone in need.”

Keith Price Schleider

“It would be a place where a teacher doesn’t think less of a student because they’re students.

Because students are just like teachers; we can learn some things and teach someone else other

things.”

David Cuevas EJ65-02

“High school should be like a place of employment to students. Students should have almost

perfect attendance and should try to be on time for their classes. They should also be sure to do

what is expected of them. Respect to teachers is a must, and teachers should be considered as

bosses. It is what we learn during high school that helps prepare us for the outside world. Later

we will not have our teachers to be directing us constantly; thus we should take full advantage of

the opportunities offered.

Students should always have a say in the running of the school. Their opinions should be taken

into consideration. It’s equal treatment, respect, and a sense of belonging that help build an ideal

high school. Students should encourage each other for the better. Troublemakers, drug pushers,

violent and disruptive students should be expelled from the school. Belonging to an ideal high

school is the beginning of a wonderful experience. Let’s try. Stevenson is on its way!”

Mitcheline Marshall C93

“In my opinion, the ideal high school should be a place where it’s fun to learn, and helpful at the

same time. If these two objectives were met, school would be the ideal place to be, for students

and for teachers. The students would enjoy school, and would therefore be more controlled.

And, if the students are more controlled, teachers will have an easier time teaching.”

Mary E. LaMoutain E72

“I have attended Stevenson High School for five years and feel that this high school did not live

up to my standards of what a high school should be. I believe the high school I had in mind was

just a little more equipped to deal with today’s teenagers.

Stevenson fails to put out enough graduates. Those who do graduate are sometimes unqualified

for jobs or are very uncertain about their futures, and college. Stevenson is overpopulated.

Anyone can go here. And the atmosphere and support from many teachers stinks. Stevenson

does not have enough computer classes and counselors.

My ideal high school deals closely with the students; more emotional support, better courses.

The students make commitments to their education. No one is allowed past five years. No night

or summer school is available. Better equipment and lounging facilities. My ideal school will

deal personally with students’ needs, instead of using punishment or force.

Many times the low-budgeted schools don’t have enough so our students don’t get enough. Yes,

I believe learning begins in the home, but the government should feel responsible for what steps

to take next. Especially because the children are our future.”

Ursula Bryant Zeitlin

SECTION THREE: MORE STUDENT WRITINGS

“As everyone knows, there is a lot of room for improvement both in our school and in the entire

school system itself. There are a lot of flaws that either irritate or, in some cases, completely

interfere with and disrupt the education process. If all of these hindrances were completely

eliminated from the system, then we would be left with the ideal high school.

The ideal high school would be a totally different experience from what we have become used

to. The school would have a smaller population, having only the amount of students it was built

for, or less. There would be increased security throughout to prevent crimes within the school

and to keep intruders out. More guidance counselors would be available to the students to

discuss other things besides programming. A new system would be devised so that everyone’s

program would be done right for the first tie without any errors. More doors would be open in

the morning for the convenience of the students, and ample time would be given between periods

to get to class on time. Lunches would be a club of some kind for everyone to join. Adequate

supplies would be available at all times and the building itself would be spotless. The changes

would bring about a better learning environment for all.

A school such as this would not only improve the quality of the school but the attitude of both

the staff and students in it. They will take pride in the school and what it stands for. More work

will be done, which will lead to more things getting done. In the end, all will benefit…

Stefanie Yvette Skerritt EV8101 S. Shapiro

“I would like my high school to be very clean and treated like a queen. I would like every class

in the school to be very interesting and exciting, so all the students will come. Also, I wouldn’t

want a lot of ‘Straight A’ students because that might make the school boring.”

Shalyn Veal EE23 Carter

“Too many bathrooms are closed, and the boys’ bathroom is not kept half as clean as the girls’.”

Kevin Holder E72 Moser

“A school’s appearance has a lot of influence on a student. A student will be proud to say he

goes to the local school if it is clean and has a good reputation. On the other hand people tend to

look down on a person if their school looks like a dump site.”

Michelle Broderick EE82-01 Zeitlin

“I also feel teachers should be more down-to-earth. What I mean is for teachers to every now

and then put themselves in the position of teenagers. Maybe they would understand why

teenagers do the things they do.”

Norma Vega

“The teachers will have to understand the students a little more, while the students have to put a

little more effort behind their work. This will create a bond between teacher and student. This

would cause a chain reaction throughout the school.”

David Companioni E72

“My ideal high school is where the parents and the kids and teachers know each other very well.”

Derrick Gerard Moser

“When the students and staff care, then the high school becomes the ideal.”

Susan Lora

“I do not think Stevenson is the worst school in the Bronx, but a little improvement would make

a student feel proud to come to school every day.”

Roger Persaud

“I think Stevenson High School is one of the best schools around. Now that I got you all high

and mighty, let’s talk about the problems Stevenson has. The biggest problem…is

overcrowding. One way to cut down is not to accept some students. I think all kids should be

interviewed. Another way is to throw out all the students who continually cut, failed two classes,

and/or misbehave.”

Diana Perez EE02-02 S. Johnson

“My ideal high school is definitely not Stevenson. I wish I could go to a high school where the

people in it could all get along. I know that’s impossible, but that’s what I wish…I wish we

could pick our classes.”

Shelley Huggins Johnson

“I also feel classes should be made more interesting. Teachers should loosen up more and try to

make learning fun. Not bore children, because this is why people cut only some classes and go to

others. I highly recommend teachers such as Cornelius McCormack.”

Marcelle Ortiz H22

“We need more teachers like Mr. Cornelius McCormack of the Social Studies Department. He’s

a fun teacher, never boring; he always made every lesson fun to learn. His class was the

highlight of my day. I hated it when he was absent; IT WAS SO BORING!”

One thing I could say about him is that in my mind he is the ideal teacher. He is truly one of a

kind!”

Annette Olmo A41T

“I think security should be increased with better understanding guards, and the stick-up-kids be

transferred out.”

Joey Yolles C91F

“I feel very strongly about students being recognized and encouraged. Because they’re always

calling my house when I’m absent or cutting or doing bad in class. But they never call my house

to tell my mother that I’m going to all my classes and that I’m not cutting and that I’m really,

really trying my very best. Why? Why?”

Alines Matos

“My things from my locker have been stolen for the third time! Please do something about it!!

Thank you.”

Elizabeth Horne A08

“To me, the ideal high school is a place where everyone goes to get an education. The students

are not only involved with work, but a balance of leisure and hard work should exist. Special

programs for the gifted and the handicapped are vital necessities. That way, everyone can learn

as much as possible.

College scholarships should be guaranteed to any hard-working person. Involvement with other

schools is fun and important. Competitions and meetings among other schools would bring new

ideas and new relationships among students.

Teachers should be one-hundred percent competent. I feel this means that he or she must have

gone to college and should have a Ph.D. This would ensure that the kids in the school would get

a good education.

The kids in this school would have an option to take physical education and, if taken, credit

would be granted.

Getting back to having a balance of leisure and work, extra-curricular activities would be

provided for anyone who wishes to participate in them. For example, baseball, football,

checkers, chess, student government, debating teams, peer groups and tutoring would be a few of

the many things available…”

Mark Perez H21 Ms. Schleider

“I would make sure to hire teachers who are understanding and compassionate, yet tough. I

would have a large squad of security guards. More than twenty five! The guards must have

respect for the students. As well as the students having respect for them. I would improve the

bathrooms. I would hire the guidance counselors myself to make sure that they are worthy of the

job.

I would have more school activities and have an assembly every month to find out what the

students want and don’t want. Students make a school, and if you don’t listen to students you

have no school!

I would give at least five to six minutes between classes for students to be able to calmly come to

class. I would give more classes on life and not about recordkeeping. I would give a student an

education and not a skill. People develop that on their own.

I feel that if we come together we can accomplish most of the things that I’ve just mentioned.

But as you know, I alone cannot do it.”

Rita Martinez EE0203 S. Johnson

“This report is more useful in a school where students are more mature. It has always been said

that the environment has some effect on the behavior of others. How is that so, when we have

created the environment in which we live?

The ideal high school can be located anywhere as long as there is some life (such as trees, grass

etc.) to give the students a better way of looking at life. Teachers should be respectful only if a

student is. My goal would be to establish this feeling.

The school itself would also be well organized. From programming to interior decorating. This

means wall-to-wall carpeting. Steady, controlled heating and air conditioning. Music in the

lunchrooms. The teachers would also be using high-tech instruments. Such as a blackboard

which would become a screen (video monitor) and a keyboard on the teacher’s desk. This

allows the teacher to type his lesson and enables a student to understand what he wrote. Better

made desks and chairs also help. Or even small monitors on the student’s desk with a coin slot.

For 50 cents you could have a printout of the lesson, since it is already in the computer’s

memory.

Lunches would cost a dollar. But there would be variety i.e. a hot lunch and cold lunch section

having over five different varieties. Also with a broadcasting system. The broadcasting classes

would entertain the lunchroom while learning a trade.”

Luis deLeon B43T Snitkin

“There should be Assembly every Friday with activities like a gong show, a talent show, and an

academic Olympics program. No homework on Fridays because the weekend is ours. Lunch for

an hour. Specially qualified teachers that don’t get on students nerves.”

Terence Brown

“We should have study halls (study periods). In this way, students have a chance to catch up on

their studying and homework – a lot of times students either work or either have too much other

responsibilities to get all their homework done, so study halls would be a big help.”

Dawn Knight Moser

“They should have more exploratory classes for shorter duration, and more creative types of

classes.”

Edwin Tubens Moser

“My ideal high school would have air conditioning and flowers and plants around the school. It

would have a garden inside the school. The sidewalk is clean. The grass is green and cut while

the flowers bloom. My school has six floors and an escalator in it. The students are kind and are

well-behaved.

The lunch is very good. There aren’t any blackboards in the lunchroom. The food is fresh and

pleasant to eat. There’s lots of food to choose from. We have soups, corn (fresh) , meat (real

meat), sandwiches, salad and olives and crackers. There’s more but I can not think of them all.

The classrooms will be bigger and better. The classes are clean and have a lot of equipment to

teach. The classes are fun. There’s a lot of openings for careers, e.g. we have modeling for both

sexes, dancing, soccer, swimming, golf, tennis and more. Now I feel like building my own high

school…”

Danielle Baulkman E43-01

“The first step to an ideal high school is having an ideal principal. The person best suited for this

job is David Lee Roth. At least he would go to the dances and would be an excellent prom host.

He would also ban jungle music. Even with his qualifications, he still has a few brain cells left.

Every principal should be able to make the perfect margarita.

The next step is perfecting the campus. First, we must eliminate these bricks and replace them

with granite. Cherry trees on a perfect lawn would be a nice touch. A parking lot is definitely

needed. We should also be able to leave school during the day and come back to have lunch on

the lawn. The cafeteria should have fresh flowers on every table for cold and rainy days when

students eat in. A salad bar and a gourmet deli counter are a must. Turkey tetrachloride and

barf on a bun are just not acceptable. Soda machines in the student cafeteria are also a necessity.

MTV wouldn’t hurt either.

Teachers should be given a test for mental stability before they are hired. Some teachers aspire

to be Norman Bates. Courtesy is very important so before they insult a student (unless it’s

joking), they should be able to look up and see posters everywhere that say “Miss Manners is

watching you.” Teachers should all look like S.G. Shapiro and at least know which is the water

glass and which the sherry glass.

Stevenson is lacking in extra-curricular activities. First, we need a field hockey team, an ice

hockey team and a lacrosse team. We also need a literary magazine that is privately funded,

uncensored and has a representative to the student government. A marching band is a basic need

and Latin should be an elective. We should have our cable news station and radio station. A

“Dungeons and Dragons” club should meet twice a week. There should be an astronomy club

that meets on the roof every Friday night. We need an A.F.S. club so that students have an

opportunity to spend their senior year in Europe as well as providing trips to Europe over spring

and winter breaks. Our senior trip should be to the Bahamas. There should be an eighteen hour

performathon in the library every June.

Location is also important. There should be a McDonald’s nearby. Anything convenient such as

a train station will also do.

Stevenson is obviously nowhere near being the ideal school. I think we should make it.”

Rima Ramirez EV81-01

“My ideal high school would have more courses that students of all kinds would be interested

in…separate counseling program for druggies…a nursery for children of the young girls so they

won’t have to drop out because of their children.”

Niva Rivera Budiansky

“And another thing that gets me upset. Students that be in school every day and try hard like me

often get a low grade or fail. And the ones that be cutting and staying home often come in and

bribe the teacher by making up all their homework or doing other work and they often pass.

That’s a big problem.”

Georgia Shedden C11

“Let’s say, for instance, some students are walking through the hallways at their own pace. A

certain teacher would come up and tell them to hurry up in a rude way. A lot of teachers treat all

kids in the same way. As if they were punks. They don’t treat them with the respect they

should. That’s one thing that needs to be worked out.

Another problem is the Walkman policy. I still cannot understand why they are not allowed. A

Walkman is not something that can hurt anybody. There are more drugs and weapons in the

school every day. When somebody brings a Walkman to school you only see them with it on in

the hallways. If you walk by a classroom, no one has a Walkman on while the teacher is

working. I myself only bring the Walkman to use during lunch and when I walk in the

hallways.”

Chris Ventiers Barrett

“If regular class and Bilingual students got along it would be better. There is a lot of

discrimination, and humans can’t live like that.”

Adaejisa

“The schools in the Bronx are mostly bad, but a few are all right… Most schools have bad

lunches, but most people don’t eat lunch because they’re embarrassed that their friends are going

to make fun of them…Schools should try a little harder to fix more hot lunches than cold; lunch

is not there to embarrass you but to feed you.”

Timothy Arkay EE03-05 S. Johnson

“A place where ideals and opinions could be expressed without constant peer pressure and where

uniqueness would be a way of life…

...would have the greatest lunch, and people, and give you a sense of looking forward to your next

day in school.

It would have extracurricular activities that everyone in school could participate in without

feeling intimidated in any way. Especially when the weather was fine, we could have

tournaments every Friday. They could be in volleyball or baseball, softball or basketball, but

whatever the sport there would be no discrimination or unfairness towards anyone.

In the work there would always be a challenge to students, and give them the opportunity to

think for themselves and express the way they feel, as long as they are able to accept some

criticism. The teachers would all be fairly excellent and would give others as much respect

towards their opinions as others have for theirs. Our school is not so bad because (though) it has

very little of what I said, there are places that have none of what I said.”

Joanna Jusino EV81-01

“The problems in the ideal school would have a very reasonable solution. Both the student and

the teacher will have a sort of hearing with another teacher and a student. They will listen and

decide what should be done.”

Diana Garcia EE82 Zeitlin

“A school should be clean, with no writing on desks or walls. It should never look like a garbage

truck ran by it.”

Ghadan Rahman EM25-01

“The ideal high school is one in which the teachers and deans get along well with the students…

There would be more interesting classes.

There would be courses that trained people for the life ahead of them.

The lunches should be better.

There should be more doors open in the morning.

There should be less credits to graduate with.

They should let us put shorts on in the hot days of May and June.

We should be able to wear hats in class.

Every Friday should be a half day.

There should be more interesting trips.

We should be able to see movies in the classrooms.

Radios would be allowed.

Soda machines would be in every corner of the school.

Boring teachers would be thrown out...”

Alex Velez B15M Snitkin

“…a free period for all students. A period for studying, catching up on homework, reading, or

just relaxation. Students will report to a special room. A teacher will be there to assist students

or report rowdy students. Eating and excessive chatter will not be permitted, since many

students are studying, working on homework or reading.”

Marlene Brown Barrett

“Some teachers do not listen to the students. Children have a right to be listened to. I think

teachers should be like Mrs. Barrett. She always listens.”

Guyatree Khalian Barrett

“And we need to be able to go to the bathroom when we want to, because I think we’re grown up

enough to be able to go to the bathroom without asking.”

Karen Knight Mulford

“The high school I would like would have very different people with very different attitudes than

the people of this school. The people in the school would be friendly. This school would not be

surrounded by buildings and empty junkyards.”

Michelle Rodriguez

“The teachers should work more often with students, and respect the students. As well as the

students should respect their elderly.”

Sonia DelValle C04 Barrett

“…more activities, such as clubs. Those people who are not jocks could be in study clubs, such

as Science, or in other academic clubs. Students could enjoy other sports that are not usually in

high schools. Sports such as rugby, water polo… The reason for more sports activities is that

students who are not good in one sport could be good in another.”

Peter Byrd Budiansky

“I am in the Honor school, and I get discouraged very often because we have no fun in school;

all we do is work! I suggest that we have trips because we really deserve it. There is a very,

very big difference between regular classes and Honors classes. I feel I am very pressured. We

need a brake.

Diana Canizares B41

“Please shape these disgusting, good-for-nothing, lazy do-no-work, hair-combing, stupid

students up! They come here to socialize, and get offended when they have to do homework.

When the teacher writes something down they say, ‘We have to write that?’

Please do something. They’re wasting their time here. Wasting my time too. I came here to learn

– not party!”

Anonymous

“The electives should cover a wide variety…Art classes that consist of more than just simple

drawing would be good. If you are the type of student who is interested in sports, there should

be more classes besides required gym to express these interests in.”

Richardson Moser

“…courses that deal with the world…teachers who are proud and look forward to passing their

knowledge on to students.

The ideal school should be well organized, well equipped…most of all a secure place to be. For

example, if a girl was walking down the hall with a big nameplate chain that actually sparkles,

she would be protected from a person who might actually rip her throat out for it.”

Nereida Jurado Moser

“I have been going to Stevenson High School for three years, and I am very satisfied with this

school. Out of all the public high schools in the Bronx, Stevenson High, to me, is the cleanest

and the safest. I have never been in any type of confrontation with any student here…I find this

school very neat.”

William C. EB66

“Excellent teachers who show a great deal of effort over the years should get an award of

appreciation just like students, because there are many good teachers in this school.”

Jennifer Stokes EE42 Snitkin

“…a high school with just computers. You come in in the morning for gym. Go home. Put on

your computer. Teachers comes on the screen. Gives lesson plan. You answer questions on

voice box.

So there’s no need to wake up early. You don’t have to wear clothes. You can use the

bathroom. And learn something in the process. Only (other) time you come in is for test.”

Ron Pino

“The Ideal High School in my mind would be

A high school with better security.

The security guards have a lot to learn

If their money they want to earn.

The high school should have a Home Ec class

Which all the students should pass.

So they can learn to cook and bake;

And also a computer class to have to take.

These classes should be given to all girls and boys.

To prevent us all from being “doys”.

The crime rate in the school is so bad,

When it’s time to leave I feel so glad.

I love school and my teacher, you see;

But the thought of pain bothers me.

Five guys jumped me last term.

When I told the guards all they did was squirm.

My thoughts of the school are to prevent a bad scene,

And the administration and security shouldn’t be mean.

They tease us, taunt us, and make us mad,

And then they suspend us because we’re bad.

One other thing would make the school ideal;

If it taught people the real deal.

Most girls today can’t cook;

When they hear I can I’m called schnook.

I’m proud of my cooking skill,

And the frozen delights that I can chill.

The one thing I need to learn,

And it’s a class that I’ve always yearned.

Computer class could make me ready,

To get a job that’s somewhat steady.

These are (some) of the things to make a high school right;

These are suggestions no one’d fight.

I am honest, and my feelings are real;

These things would make a high school ideal.”

Roger Martinez

“The school wants the students to stay in school but never asks why they leave.”

Jeffrey Lebren

“Many students aren’t academically bright but are very good in other subjects. Many drop out

because their talents aren’t recognized.”

Lanif Lopez

“I believe this school’s major problem is the neglect of students’ needs, which causes them to

give up hope.”

Ursula Bryant

“Most of all my ideal high school would try to judge you from the inside, not the outside.”

Carlos Reyes

“It’s equal treatment, respect, and a sense of belonging that help build an ideal high school.”

Mitcheline Marshall

“The number one rule is for everyone to be considered special.”

Theresa Garcia

ADDENDUM

A partial listing of clubs and/or courses requested

Gymnastics Debating

Comedy club Secretarial

International travel Drama

Nature Video rental in library

Biking Art for beginners

Talent Rapping

Girls Club Modeling

Dance Graffiti

Glee Club Aerobics

Fencing Electronics

Creative Writing Body building

Bathroom club (?!) Aviation mechanics

Science Aeronautics

Jr. Varsity Sports Auto mechanic club

Chess Model airplane

Math Spanish music/dancing

Music Future homemakers

Swimming New students club

Editorial (publishing) Spelling

R.O.T.C. Wildlife

Fashion Hunting & fishing

Bike racing Black studies

Skiing World of medicine

Girls football Russian

Computer club Volunteers (e.g. hospital)

Job placement Expedition club

Twirling Clean-up club

Peace Socializing club (for

teachers/students)

Photography Life awareness

Business club Place for students and

teachers to go after school to solve differences

Archery Security

Boxing Computer animation

“Shop till you drop” club Rap sessions

Intramural sports Cartooning

Karate Young Republicans

Knitting Latin Society

Psychology Money managing

Disc Jockey Handball

Career club Softball

Teen help Sea explorers

Peer counseling Nursing

Crafts Girls football

Positive attitude club Ecology

Women’s club Human relations

Travel (throughout NYC & USA) Ping Pong (et al)

A science club for those who like it but aren’t so good in it

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks first of all to all those whose names should be on this page but have been unknowingly

omitted.

Thanks to all the students who filled out the survey, and thanks particularly to those of you who

also added written comments.

Thanks to the core members of the Stevenson Improvement Club, including co-advisor Victor

Lawrence, Carmen Padillo, Stefanie Skerritt, Janee Funchess, Ruben Duranc, Sunil John, Francis

‘Wall Street’ Irizarry, Angel Santiago, Mitch Roberts, Taha Howze, Diana Perez, Angelique

Meola, Rita Martinez, Deidre Gladden, Glenna Denis, Helen Reyes, Monica Lucero, Roger

Dennis and Ruth Monge.

Thanks to the ‘project members’ of the Stevenson Improvement Club, including Daisy Torres,

Ayoka Tucker, Julie Belizaire, Edna Padillo, George DeJesus, Regine Cadet, Nicole Knight,

Linda Woods, Maryann Malave, Tarsha McCallum, Sandra Peters, Thomas Scrivens, Roxanne

Lucero, Peter Santiago, Charlene Boyce, Abraham Sylcott, Martin Pirela, Carl Robinson, Javier

Rivera, Corinne Blackmon, Milagros Moner, Gloria Skerritt, Eileen Keegan, Jeanne Veder,

Larry Lucente, Philip Rexon, Irving Goldberg, Burt Shapiro, Toby Golden, Jon L., Alex G.,

Adrienne Howard, Yolanda Williams, Jeannette Segara, Rafael Rivera, and Idalia Ramirez. And

a very special thanks to the late Tobey E. Koenigsberger, whose talent, sense of humor, warmth

and genuine goodness will always be a part of us.

Thanks again to Ed Hom and Pat Friedman. Thanks to Jeff Zeitlin, Stephanie Schleider, Norm

Snitkin, Art Mulford, Sonja Johnson, Marjorie Marmano, John LaSusa, June Barrett, Lorraine

Johnson, Peg Anderson, Joe Brunetto, Madeline Budiansky, Werner Eisenzoph, Joyce

Hedgepeth, Tom Donohoe, Beverly Gabel, Lisa Kor, Helene Moser, Elaine Shanstrom, Steve

Shapiro, Terry Cerza, Kate Hepner, Ed Morrow, John O’Hara, Lydia Carrasquillo, Donna Carter,

Noel Williams, Renee Spencer, Carol Demast and Wilhemina McCormick.

A very special thank you to Edna Dolan, Delia Santiago and Cecile Monteavaro.

Thanks to Lucy Reed, Lillian Ryer, Karen Taber Cassano, Darci Jackson, Sylvia Elie, Renee

Ziegler.

And thanks to Dave and Carolyn Whitfield of Dave and Sons Janitorial/Maintenance Services of

Brunswick, Georgia for donating much of the printing cost of this project. (If any of you

recognize the name, this is the same David Whitfield who did so much good work with our

young people in the late 60’s and early 70’s via the NY Urban League Street Academics, Hughes H.S.,

Brandeis H.S., Harambee Prep, Urban Coalition…)

SOME FINAL COMMENTS

When we look at a school which most would agree rates as at least an average level urban high school,

and we find that more than two thirds (2/3) of the student body feels:
there is not enough respect between teachers and students;
students’ opinions and needs are not seriously considered;

counseling is inadequate;
there are not enough courses related to real life;
equipment and supplies are inadequate;
fighting, stealing, loud-mouthing, and other disruptive behavior is quite commonplace;
disruptive students are not adequately dealt with and/or helped;
the programming system is a mess and quite unfair to many students;
overcrowding causes discomfort and tension and generally interferes with learning:

And when most of the bathrooms are kept locked and those that are open are usually under-supplied

and often dirty;
and assembly programs are few and far between;
and the attractive and comfortable patio areas are kept locked and off-limits;
and only a handful of extra-curricular activities exist for a school of almost five thousand students…

When all these realities and feelings expressed by a large cross section of students at a fairly

typical inner city public high school show this many areas of discontent;

and when so many of the students' complaints so closely parallel oft-expressed staff feelings (e.g.

overcrowding, program mistakes, disruptive behavior, lack of respect and poor communication

between teachers and administrators, staff and the Board of Education, etc.)...

Don’t you think it is time for us to get serious about fixing our schools? Don’t you think it’s time

for the real truth, instead of the politically expedient truth? Isn't it time for education leaders and public officials to start spending less time working to improve their images and more time working to save our young people’s futures?!

Don’t you think it is time that every administrator, parent, teacher, student, paraprofessional, mayor, governor, state and national education commissioner, school board member, Regent, and every concerned community member:

(1) stands up and declares exactly how he/she perceives what is going on in our school(s)

(2) listens to each other, and

(3) makes the commitment to work together to find the answers that we must find?!

BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION

The Stevenson Improvement Club is a grass roots organization open to each and every student,

teacher, secretary, administrator, custodian, parent, community resident, etc. who is willing to

work together to improve Adlai Stevenson High School specifically, and public education

generally.

We formed because we feel our educational leadership has not been responsive to the needs of

our young people. A great many of the decisions made and directives mandated interfere with,

rather than aid, the effectiveness of our schools. We decided to take responsibility

ourselves, to form a cooperative action group to evaluate our situation and come up with

some viable solutions.

As part of the evaluation process, the students in our group designed a twenty-five statement

check-list survey. One thousand, seven hundred and ninety-eight students (approximately 39%

of the student-body) completed the questionnaire. We also asked students to write a

composition entitled ‘The Ideal High School’. Over six hundred did so.

The results, we feel, are quite significant. Adlai Stevenson, though larger than most, is a fairly

typical inner-city public high school. Probably a bit above average, in fact. Keeping that in

mind while reading the survey results, one will likely get a much clearer idea of what is going

on in many of America’s schools today. We think that is vitally important.

We want, therefore, to distribute the report to as many individuals and groups as possible. We

are hoping to help create a serious dialogue among students, educators, government officials,

parents, and advocacy groups from various areas.

We encourage all of you to respond in writing with reactions, comments, criticisms, etc. Share

them with us; share them with your colleagues; share them with others interested in our young

people’s lives; share them with the (responsible and ethical) media.

NOTE: We had hoped to prepare this report much sooner, but this has proven to be an

even more time-consuming task than we had anticipated. Some of you may feel these offerings

are invalid because they were written in the spring of 1986. When we discussed this recently at

one of our meetings, we agreed unanimously that the feelings expressed are still strongly

relevant today. You’ll have to decide for yourself.

On the following two pages is more information on what The Stevenson Improvement Club is

all about.

RD
May, 1987

THE STEVENSON IMPROVEMENT CLUB

Compared to other NYC high schools, Adlai Stevenson HS is a pretty good place. But

compared to what we could be, we are FAR from being a good school. Like almost every

school in existence, we vastly under-utilize our human resources!!! We have wonderful

and talented people here - students, staff, and parents. But we waste most of our talents.

The major goal of the Stevenson Improvement Club is a big one, and a tough one. But an

attainable one. We want our school to become a place where all of us have the

opportunity to contribute and participate in the areas of our interests and strengths; a

place where every one of us learns and grows, a place which each of us feels proud and

happy to be a part of.

Impossible? Not at all. But we have to take charge. We can’t sit back and wait for the

state, the city, or the Board of Education to do it. We have to do it ourselves. We have to

begin the process of utilizing - more and more and more - the skills and strengths which

we already have within us.

There are certain qualities which we must strive for, especially including: Honesty, Involvement,

Communication, Respect, Order, Cooperation

HONESTY: We can never expect our school to operate effectively if we don’t evaluate

ourselves honestly. It would be like going to the doctor and telling her that you have a

slight uneasiness in your stomach when in truth the pain is excruciating. With

misinformation the diagnosis will be inaccurate; and hence, the remedy won’t remedy.

The Stevenson Improvement Club is telling the truth.

INVOLVEMENT: This school belongs to all of us. And we need to assert and affirm

that ownership. In addition, every human being alive is unique - with opinions, feelings,

and skills which no other person possesses in quite the same way. Everybody is special.

Including the quiet, unassuming individual who kind of stays in the background.

Including the Special Ed student. And the Honors student. And the ‘average’ young

person. And the young man who spends most of his tine ‘hanging’ in the hallways.

Including secretaries, parents, custodians, teachers, security officers. WE ARE ALL

UNIQUE AND THUS SPECIAL.

We need to utilize people’s ideas, talents, energies, for at least two reasons: to gain the

benefit of their offerings for our own enjoyment and/or development; and to enable ‘the

offerers’ to feel worthwhile and important as contributing, accepted and ‘belonging’

human beings.

COMMUNICATION: As mentioned earlier we need to say what we really feel. And

we need to truly listen to one another. And to try to understand what the other person

feels, even if our viewpoints differ. We need to talk with, not at, each other.

And we need to improve the vehicles of communication. Too many things go on that

many of us don’t even know about.

RESPECT: Starts with self and generates to others. The more each of us accepts

ourselves as worthwhile human beings, the better are we able to accept and respect

others. Respect can be taught; respect can be practiced; respect can be increased.

ORDER: In order to enjoy the benefits of use of the outdoor courtyard, regular assembly

programs, bathrooms being opened and available for use, classrooms and hallways which

are quiet enough for students to listen and learn, supplies and equipment being better

protected from vandals and thieves, etc.; we must have the support of, rather than

interference from, the powers outside of our buildings. As it stands now, decisions which

are thrust upon us make it impossible for us to maintain a safe, secure, and orderly

environment.

As long as it remains so easy for people to yell ‘f’ this and ‘mf’ that and not get in trouble

for it - as long as people can disrupt classes, disrespect staff and students, and not be held

accountable for their actions - our school will never be a really good school.

We must have the mechanism to hold all individuals - staff and students - accountable for

their actions.

COOPERATION: No two persons or groups will ever see things exactly the same

way. But we can identify our common ground and move forward in directions all view

as progress.

The Stevenson Improvement Club

Join Us

THE STEVENSON IMPROVEMENT CLUB

Adlai Stevenson HS is a pretty good school – in many ways a very good school. But we could

be much better. Like almost every school in existence, we vastly underutilize our human

resources! We have wonderful and talented people here – students, staff, and parents. But we

waste most of our talents.

The major goal of the Stevenson Improvement Club is a big one, and a tough one. But an

attainable one. We want our school to become a place where all of us have the opportunity to

contribute and participate in the areas of our interests and strengths; a place where every one of

us learns and grows; a place which each of us feels proud and happy to be a part of.

Impossible? Not at all. But we have to take charge. We can’t sit back and wait for the state, the

city, or the Board of Education to do it, because they’re not going to. We have to do it ourselves.

We have to begin the process of utilizing – more and more and more – the skills and strengths

which we already have within us.

There are certain qualities which we must strive for; Honesty, Involvement, Communication,

Respect, Order, Cooperation…

HONESTY: We can never expect our school to operate effectively if we don’t evaluate

ourselves honestly. It would be like going to the doctor and telling her that you have a slight

uneasiness in your stomach when in fact the pain is quite severe. With misinformation the

diagnosis will be inaccurate; and hence, the remedy won’t remedy.

The Stevenson Improvement Club is telling the truth.

INVOLVEMENT: This school belongs to all of us. And we need to assert and affirm that

ownership. In addition, every human being alive is unique – with opinions feelings, skills which

no other possesses. EVERYBODY IS SPECIAL. Including the quiet, unassuming individual

who kind of stays in the background. Including the Special Ed student. And the Honors student.

And the young man who spends most of his time ‘hanging’ in the hallways and the staircases.

Including secretaries, custodians, parents, teachers, security officers. WE ARE ALL SPECIAL.

We need to utilize people’s ideas, talents, energies, for two reasons: to gain the benefit of their

offerings for our own enjoyment and/or development; and to enable the ‘offerers’ to feel

worthwhile and important as contributing, accepted human beings.

COMMUNICATION: As mentioned earlier, we need to say what we really feel. And we need

to truly listen to one another. And to try to understand what the other person feels, even if our

viewpoints differ. We need to talk with, not at, each other.

And we need to increase, or improve, the vehicles of communication. Too many things go on

that many of us don’t even know about.

RESPECT: Starts with self – and generates to others. The more each of us accepts ourselves as

worthwhile human beings, the better are we able to accept and respect others. Respect can be

taught; respect can be practiced; respect can be increased.

ORDER: As long as it remains so easy for people to yell ‘f’ this and ‘mf’ that and not get in

trouble for it – as long as people can disrupt classes, disrespect staff and students and not have to

be held accountable for their actions – our school can never become a really good school.

That stuff has to stop.

And those staff members who treat students disrespectfully and thereby encourage disorderly

behavior must change that aspect of themselves.

COOPERATION: No two persons or groups will ever see things exactly the same way. But we

can identify our common ground and move forward in directions which all view as progress.

The Stevenson Improvement Club

Join Us

IT IS TIME

Pages

Sunday, September 14, 2014

THE STEVENSON IMPROVEMENT CLUB STUDENT SURVEY 1986

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