High School

[GraytonBound]

I've read alot about Collegiate High School on the OWC website, just wondering if anyone out there has any first-hand knowledge or opinion of the school?

[kurt]

Never heard of it.

[GraytonBound]

You're kidding :?:
I can't believe I've heard of it & the Grayton Guru hasn't :lol:

It's a charter school where you earn college credit while you are earning your high school diploma. Been around about 4 years. I think they used to go around to area schools but now the kids go to the OWC campus.

Sounds like a good opportunity, but I wonder if the kids feel like they "miss out" on typical high school events, such as Fri. night football.

[kurt]

As a senior in high school way back when, I got to go to a couple of courses at the nearby college. That was great. maybe it's like that.

[GraytonBound]

Check the owc.edu website & see what you think. I'm not sure I'm ready for a 19 yr old to have an Associates Degree...we're rushing kids to grow up so fast. BUT it would be nice to have a couple years free tuition!


My guess is that it's really hard to get into. I think the website said there are 3 times more applicants than they can accept.

OK, assuming we don't get in there, where, in your opinion(s) is the best high school in the panhandle (counting Walton & surrounding counties)

[kurt]

SoWal High home of the Seahwaks is a good one.

IMO as long as High Schools are safe and clean they're all the same. They teach you about 15% of what you need to be learning during those years. :roll:

[GraytonBound]

Sounds like a good topic for discussion. I'm on the fence, for 2 reasons:

View #1: If you look at the logic of people like Robert Kiyosaki, you are exactly right. As a matter of fact, when you go to his website the first thing it says is...your banker has never asked for your report card, just your financial statement. I was a great student but don't know that I retained very much of what I learned- I was a short-term memorizer.


View #2: The school really DOES matter for reasons such as self-esteem & happiness. As an example, my son is very smart, but he think's outside the box. He's a hands-on kind of a kid & is always doodling, he's very creative. If he were not at a private school with a lot of forward thinking teachers, my guess is that instead of making A's he would be in trouble alot. His school is part of Mel Levine's study ("A Mind at a Time") & they appreciate the fact that he can be taking it all in even if he's not sitting still looking straight ahead. I wonder if larger, public schools would be as understanding.

Don't know if anyone else is interested in this subject but if so I would love to hear some feedback, especially from educators or someone with middle/high school age kids. Any takers?

[dplace]

I hope this isn't a second reply but I haven't figured out how to use all the features of this board. I spent the best part of 30 years counselling in schools, jails, prisons and on native reserves in Canada. I came from a school that gave students the opportunity to select an academic path, a musical path or a sports path as part of the main line study pattern. In my school, students for any of the optional paths were considered "cool" and had friends from other diciplines. People like the rock star Niel Young was in school with me and he seems to have done quite well for himself. It is true that not many employers ask for academic results other than a paper that says you graduated, but not one school of higher learning will allow you to enter if you don't have the academic standing to get past the entrance interview. In my field, Educational Psychology, there were only two people selected per year to enter the faculty and grades were everything. Grade standing was also very important. If you don't intend to go further than a Grade 12 graduation then a firm high school eduaction with a good exposure to other things like the arts, hands on skills and sports is just fine. If you want to go further then you need to get all the academic background you can to complete. I often told my clients,"If you have a tool kit with all the necessary tools and even a few specialty tools, you can handle anything that comes your way". If you only have the basics, you will miss out on opportunities that others will capitalize on. Today with such competition, these associate degrees are a great insurance, and besides, how much education is too much education?

Dave Place M.Ed. (Psy)

[kurt]

I think Neil has taught me more than my freshman English teacher.

[GraytonBound]

Thanks for the input dplace.

I understand that you need good grades to get into a good college & be competitive in the job search. But does it matter too much which high school you choose?

As an example, lets say your son has the opportunity to go to a pricey all male high school. That will put him on the path to a great university (more money) & will give him an opportunity to know prominent people in your community. But, is it worth the obscene amount of money you will spend on it, or will you be just as good to go to a "safe, clean" high school, as Kurt puts it, make good grades & go to a state university?

Of course you really need a crystal ball for that one. Who knows what my kids will want to be?? I guess I'm more concerned that the school will support their learning styles and they will feel understood & self-confident. Any thoughts?

[Oldtimer]

Good Morning! This is a very interesting topic, but one that could be debated for a long, long time with no definitive answer. I am also a former educator and parent of two college graduates. My children were born with certain personality traits that have been with them their entire lives. In some cases the outside environment moved them in certain directions, but in other times their genetic makeup took control. Sometimes for the good and sometimes for the bad. We tried public and private schools, but my opinion is that the students need to learn to adjust and make the best of whatever environment they may be in at the time. We cannot "create" the ideal environment for them for a lifetime. Learning to "live" and achieve is what we need to teach. I'm sure that I don't know how to do that. Positive home support and exposure to education and books are things all parents can do regardless of financial standing. Decisions about a child's school need to be made with the entire family's welfare in mind. IMO (humble as it is).

Have a good weekend!

[RiverOtter]

Good Morning! This is a very interesting topic, but one that could be debated for a long, long time with no definitive answer. !

Jessica will give it her best shot :roll: :mrgreen:

[kurt]

Good Morning! This is a very interesting topic, but one that could be debated for a long, long time with no definitive answer. I am also a former educator and parent of two college graduates. My children were born with certain personality traits that have been with them their entire lives. In some cases the outside environment moved them in certain directions, but in other times their genetic makeup took control. Sometimes for the good and sometimes for the bad. We tried public and private schools, but my opinion is that the students need to learn to adjust and make the best of whatever environment they may be in at the time. We cannot "create" the ideal environment for them for a lifetime. Learning to "live" and achieve is what we need to teach. I'm sure that I don't know how to do that. Positive home support and exposure to education and books are things all parents can do regardless of financial standing. Decisions about a child's school need to be made with the entire family's welfare in mind. IMO (humble as it is).

Have a good weekend!

What wise words. Thanks. 8)

[GraytonBound]

Learning to "live" and achieve is what we need to teach.

Good thought! Makes me lean towards public school because it's more "real world" than the sheltered private school life.

And I would like to teach my kids to choose a path that they enjoy instead of dealing with the stress & pressure of corporate America. (Of course they'll never have the $ to leave home :shock: )

Thanks Oldtimer! It really helps me to hear the advice of those who have "been there done that".

[Smiling JOe]

I think Neil has taught me more than my freshman English teacher.


Kurt, did we have the same English teacher?

Amen, Brother!

[Smiling JOe]

Let us also remember that every student has a different way of learning. Expose kids to life and they will grow to be well rounded and respectful adults.

By the way, attending an exclusive college does not make one successful. Success lies within each individual, not within the school. I learned more on my own at the public and college libraries than I ever dreamed of learning in High School. I was always too busy with many interests. The twist is that we all perform better when someone inspires or encourages us. Urge your kids to seek out these people, and learn from everyone. Teachers are not our only source for encouraging words.

[GraytonBound]

The twist is that we all perform better when someone inspires or encourages us. :idea:



Thanks SJ! I think I'll print that out & put it on the fridge! It's a good reminder :D

[kurt]

I think Neil has taught me more than my freshman English teacher.


Kurt, did we have the same English teacher?

Amen, Brother!

Possible. We probably have vinyl in common. :wink:

[Rita]

Yes - Motivators! Great teachers know how to motivate!

Something we've looked for in a school is if teachers are trying to get positions in the particular school in question. One way to know that the hiring staff has a good pool for selecting.

[GraytonBound]

Yet another good idea, thanks! :idea: But how do you find out if there are a lot of teachers applying? I guess you gotta know the right people to talk to.

Rita, sounds like you have been through this before- do you still have school-age children? Just curious where they go to school.

[Rita]

Unbiased contacts goota be found. Substitute teachers are good 'cause they can tell you their impression of the school and students as they're in a unique position - they are more likely to be forthright and will have first-hand knowledge of the "respectfulness" of the majority of the students.

Besides the quality of education, it has been important to us that our daughter (13) be with as few "snooty/better than you" types as possible. Otherwise we welcome a diverse student body in terms of attitudes as well as culture.

She'll finish through high school in TX school system, which is getting bogged down with teaching to the TAKS test. Teachers sigh in relief when they have the last month or to actually teach as they would like! :(

[GraytonBound]

Teachers sigh in relief when they have the last month or to actually teach as they would like! :(

That's what scares me about public schools....they are so controlled that they can't do what they want. Our old headmaster once said we don't even take milk money from the govt, that way they can't tell us what to do.

[graytonrbust]

Just my 2 cents worth......

I am a product of upper class private school mixed with a rather nice public school. I believe that I did benefit from both in some form or fashion, however, I feel that consistancy (one or the other) in my education would have been much more profitable. While most people are under the impression that "pricey, upper-class" private schools are safer, believe me when I say that when there are more prosperous students, there will be more unsuitable options available other than acedemics, sports or music for them to choose from. This is without a doubt also in public shools, I think that some times people are under the impression that it is not in the private ones. And most of the time, because of who these kids are and what family they are from, no one ever notices until sometimes it is too late.

[RiverOtter]

Thanks for the

[Anonymous]

Just my 2 cents worth......

I feel that consistancy (one or the other) in my education would have been much more profitable.

Just curious, how many times did you change schools? We're talking about not just changing schools but changing states! Our boys would be 4th & 6th grade at that time.

And I know what you mean about private school "opportunties", we have friends in that same situation...the kids are so used to mommy & daddy bailing them out that they really don't care much about values or responsibilities. Lots of money & time does make it easy to have a lot of "extracurricular" activities.

[graytonrbust]

Just my 2 cents worth......

I feel that consistancy (one or the other) in my education would have been much more profitable.

Just curious, how many times did you change schools? We're talking about not just changing schools but changing states! Our boys would be 4th & 6th grade at that time.

And I know what you mean about private school "opportunties", we have friends in that same situation...the kids are so used to mommy & daddy bailing them out that they really don't care much about values or responsibilities. Lots of money & time does make it easy to have a lot of "extracurricular" activities.

[beachmouse]

Collegiate high's not as hard to get into as the press clippings would lead you to believe, especially if a student has high grades freshman year at their traditional high school. Student body is pretty much the same what you'd find in the honors/AP/IB track at other area high schools- some of them very bright, others are probably pretty average in terms of IQ, but willing to work extremely hard to get good grades.

It's a good school for smart/motivated kids who don't necessarily fit in right in a traditional school. The drawbacks I see are fewer extracurricular opportunities, and if the kid plans on going outstate for college, they may have problems with transfer credits with some colleges because of how the OWC program is structured. (If the kid knows they're going to stay in-state for their BA/BS, college transfer credit will be extremely painless and smooth because of how FL higher ed numbers and classifies courses statewide)

For the traditional high schools, I'd give the nod to Niceville High- strong academics, Okaloosa County in general runs their schools very well, extensive successful extracurriculars, and a motivated student body. It's where a lot of the area rocket scientists (who are in missle development at Eglin AFB) send their kids.

[GraytonBound]

Thanks for the info beachmouse...sounds like you have experience with the schools down there. Do you have kids currently enrolled?

[beachmouse]

No kids yet, but we did our homework when we were buying our house and some of the selling points for the area we picked were Bluewater/Plew elementary schools, Destin/Ruckel middles and Niceville HS, both from the test scores and from the subjective side of things (general reputation, what we thought of the kids we knew who went there, etc.)

[GraytonBound]

Bluewater/Plew elementary schools, Destin/Ruckel middles and Niceville HS

Thanks for the info beachmouse...I had already been to the high school website but was not familiar with the elem & middle schools. I just did a little research & they do look like great schools! (just a little larger than we're used to)

[beachmouse]

I know what you mean. My high school in Michigan had about 600 students, and that seems to be typical for the Okaloosa elementary schools. But it at least it's not like the Miami area where you get high schools with 4,000 kids at them.

[GraytonBound]

Looks like Niceville HS has about 2,200. :shock:

I guess it's not all bad, though. I mean, you have a big pool of kids to choose your friends from. And I'm sure they offer lots of extracurricular activities- something for everyone. There's always a silver lining :)