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A Sense of Place

Usually, people are attracted to McCall for reasons other than education. Outdoor opportunities abound in Valley County, and many retire or move into the area to create lives that include recreation first and foremost; academics almost always take a back seat to other activities. Suzanne Mack, a McCall resident and parent of two high school students, says: "We did not move here for the schools: if institution were important, we would have stayed in Seattle. But McCall has a raw beauty; there is time to think, a sense of community, and economic diversity."

This summer, renovation of McCall-Donnelly High School began, and the doors will open soon after for educational priorities to take their rightful place in the community. A new name, an upgraded reputation, and a school identity that reflects McCall ideals of community, outdoor appreciation, and diversity can all help the school exemplify McCall's finest qualities rather than being an afterthought in the dreams of those who live here.

Schools should be a "central part of a community," says Bill Anderson, a history teacher and track coach at MDHS. Schools, he elaborates, provide "a common ground that binds tradition." Integration of public involvement would encourage all sorts of opportunities for MDHS students: internships, apprenticeships, productions, foreign programs, and an energy-efficient, "green" building environment would all give our school a distinct nature. With the upcoming renovation, the high school has the resources to accomplish such a melding of community and academics. Greg Dittmer, instructor of Industrial Technology at MDHS, reflects, "[all of these potential changes are] an amazing opportunity."

Building Confidence

The current high school has withstood the test of time, and retains a special place in the hearts of alumni. But as it stands today, the high school structure offers little in the way of being an appealing venue for congregation. Kids go there to learn and to be with their friends, but many agree that the school environment itself is lacking. English teacher Ted McManus says, "We have great faculty and a talented student body but right now we're just stuck in the status quo. We want to give our school an identity."

One year, the cafeteria of the building was closed due to a roof that sagged under its snow load. Lunches were served in individual classes because the likelihood of the roof's collapsing and crushing students was too high. Building regulations state that a roof must be able to support 125-150 lbs per square foot. MDHS's capacity was around 40 lbs., which was extremely dangerous for both students and teachers. Until the current renovation, nothing had been done to fix this problem. Math teacher Bob Burns joked, "The town operates on a mentality of: the roof hasn't caved yet, therefore it won't."

Many other technical problems plaguing our "Home of the Vandals" instigated the upcoming renovations. The leaking, sagging roof caused drywall to crack; electric wiring was not up to code; poor air circulation caused mold growth; narrow hallways created traffic flow problems between classes. Furthermore, "the maintenance of the existing high school takes much more money than do any other schools in the area," says Ron Rodriguez, the custodian of all Valley County schools. "As an estimate, [after renovations are complete] we will probably be able to reduce costs of upkeep by about twenty-five to thirty percent." Taking care of the existing rubber-like gym room floor costs three times as much as it will when a wood floor is installed during the first stages of construction. By reducing money spent on school maintenance, renovations could allow current funding to be redirected toward areas such as academics.

Bonding the Community

The school has not been completely ignored all these years; it has simply taken a while for taxpayers to approve bonds to finance the remodeling. The school board has been attempting to renovate since 1993, but only received adequate funding in 2006. According to MDHS Principal Tim Thomas, "our school will be the most environmentally friendly in the state of Idaho." The reconstruction will include the addition of skylights, natural lighting, and a better heating system. Double-paned windows will trap heat inside the building, reducing the amount of electricity used to warm the school. Natural lighting will improve the mood of classrooms (and of students) because it is less harsh than the current florescent lighting.

Renovation of the high school also includes preparation for possible expansion of the school population with four "future classrooms." These rooms were added to the plans in case future growth of the McCall community necessitates a larger space. The school will be equipped to hold 600 students, allowing for better student circulation and providing for projected community growth -- a significant difference from the existing school, which can barely accommodate its 250 students.

Testing Academics

At MDHS, class sizes are generally quite small. Class discussions are uninhibited, passionate, and sometimes ridiculous. Issues ranging from self-imposed socioeconomic segregation of students within American high schools, to the practicality of Zen Buddhism, to whether Voldemort can technically be considered Harry Potter's brother are routinely discussed by students, while teachers listen and offer input. "Yeah, I like having these types of discussions. They're more interesting than reading out of the book or taking notes or something, and everyone gets involved," says Colin Marin, a junior at MDHS. "And for the record, Voldemort is basically Harry Potter's brother. Come on...think about it." Such forums create a free, friendly environment in which students collaborate and explore, rather than simply memorize booklets of answers to multiple-choice questions.

However, the No Child Left Behind act passed by the Bush Administration in 2001 mandated that students pass standardized tests of basic knowledge once during their High School careers. Such legislation advocates the belief that standardized testing equalizes classrooms and ensures that students learn similar information. Idaho issues Idaho Standard Achievement Tests to every student in grades one through ten twice a year. ISAT's are infamous among students and teachers for being time consuming, boring, and too frequent. "I hated taking them, they take like two hours, and you have to take like six a year or something," said Emily Mulnick, a junior at MDHS. "I'm so glad that I don't have to do them this year. They're just agonizing and we've done them so many times."

During sophomore year, students must pass their ISAT's in order to graduate from High School. Every other year that they sit through approximately fourteen hours of testing, students simply supply numbers that are used to evaluate Idaho schools and teachers. "In tenth grade, the tests are high-stakes for students, but every other year they're just high stakes for the schools," says Thomas. "If a lot of students fail, then the school is placed on the 'failing' list, and steps are taken to hopefully improve the school's performance next time around."

Some express the concern that this type of system puts unfair pressure on educators to cut down on creativity in the classroom, and to focus instead on coaching students through hundreds and hundreds of multiple-choice questions. "It causes huge anxiety for teachers when they have to worry about being punished if their tests don't meet criteria," Judy Anderson, a teacher at MDHS says. "The tests are a huge time commitment for teachers, and I see their frustration with having to test twice a year."

Many believe that, under the guise of making sure that every child in America absorbs the same knowledge, such government regulation is endangering teachers' liberties and jeopardizing students' potential to learn creatively. "I see the standardized test movement pushed by No Child Left Behind as an attack on the public school system by a conservative government trying to privatize education," says Anderson. "If the government makes the public school system fail in the public's eyes, it justifies charter schools and other businesses taking over education."

Thomas disagrees. He views standardized testing as a useful method to measure learning, rather than as a plot to render the public school system obsolete. "Standardized testing promotes equity within classrooms, and ensures that everybody learns the same things," he says. "Teachers do not have to teach to the tests, they can use their own methods and, as long as they teach basic standards, good test scores will follow."

Exploring Options

Even without test constraints, it is difficult for a small school such as MDHS to offer a large variety of class selections and to guarantee extensive availability of classes because of its limited teaching staff. Currently, some teachers must teach two or three subjects to accommodate distributive requirements. Students also struggle with meeting course requirements for graduation. They might like to pursue individual learning plans but because of scheduling restrictions, they cannot take all the classes they want. "Only two foreign language classes are available at the school. I would have chosen German if the option had been available because of my family background, but unfortunately I have to take Spanish or French only," says Junior Kassie Herbst. The newly-renovated High School may help create opportunity, stretch boundaries, and take the current curriculum to new heights. Advanced technology and efficient computer labs may offer students the ability to take courses online during a scheduled period to further their individual plans.

Getting involved in the real world might also give students a new perspective on their interests. Community members could enhance this scenario by coming into classrooms as guest speakers. Emily Mulnick notes, "I would like classes that pertained to certain careers, like architecture." Who better to teach this than a professional architect? Such speakers could come in several times a week to give seminars on different subjects, which would broaden students' knowledge and opinions on world-wide issues.

Mr. Burns says, "In a small town the school should be the center of the town." Like many others, Burns would like to see MDHS become an integral part of the community, working towards hands-on, progressive learning. An interest in internships has been expressed by some of the professional-technical teachers at MDHS. According to Mr. Dittmer, the objective would be for "each professional and technical teacher to enhance their programs by implementing internships, shadowing, and mentoring opportunities within the community."

One such program already exists, led by Health teacher Pam Davis. Her students spend one class block interning at the local hospital. Kelsea Daniels-Moore, a junior at MDHS, says: "I look at this interning as a way to further my education in medicine. I think that this idea needs to be expanded into other academic areas, such as mechanics, because a lot of students seem to be interested in this and it would help them to learn from a professional." Sophomore Rachel Hall agrees: "...students could work in a type of business or trade or something they are interested in, which would help them learn from real-life experiences. They could meet new people, learn new things, and discover new likes."

Other ideas involving community-student cooperation include journalism students' taking part in writing newspaper articles for the local paper, rather than just for a school publication. An auditorium could also build community-school ties. College scholarship advisor Caroline Valle says, "An auditorium would be great for public events like plays, concerts, and meetings. It would provide an immersive community experience." Mr. McManus hopes that one day students could study "Idaho, U.S., and Global issues." He adds, "When I was in school, we had a mock U.N. meeting with students representing countries like Iraq." He wants to institute programs like these into our own school, helping kids to learn and to become more culturally-aware.

Foreign Possibilities

Ideas from abroad can also enhance educational experiences at the new McCall-Donnelly High School. In Sweden, when students graduate from middle school, they choose a focus for their studies that will continue throughout all of high school. A student who is passionate about science, for example, will spend a majority of his time studying topics like physics, chemical reactions, and calculus, while a students interested in art would devote more time to subjects like painting, ceramics, and drawing technique. "Because you're in a class with people who have the same interests as you, and since classes are organized by what program you're in, you're pretty compatible with the students in your class" says Siobhan Edwards, an American exchange student enrolled in an Art program in Sweden. She believes that her classmates, "are happier because they can spend most of their time doing classes that they love. It isn't just slackers who attend "easier" programs like Art -- these are kids who really want to use art in their career, so they work really hard in all of their classes."

This same idea of an academic focus exists in high school classrooms in Austria and in the Dominican Republic. Stefan Emprechtinger, a Rotary exchange student from Austria attending MDHS last year says students in his country, "stay in the same classroom with the same people the whole school day." Adalberto Brea, an AFS exchange student from the Dominican Republic explains that students "are divided by years, so you will never be with a junior in the same class if you are a senior. We don't change classrooms; the teachers are the ones that move."

While they like this style of learning, these exchange students feel they can make more friends by taking classes with students who are all ages. Emprechtinger says, "McCall-Donnelly is definitely an awesome school to come to while on exchange." Before exchange students arrive, they are often unsure of what McCall will be like: "Basically all I knew about Idaho was that you guys had a ton of potatoes," says Emprechtinger.

MDHS has strong sports teams, which allow exchange students to make a connection with their classmates and with the school. Emprechtinger adds, "the greatest help was certainly the soccer team. I got to know many great people who I am still friends with." Adalberto Brea also appreciates MDHS' smaller school over his private school in Santo Domingo: "Because it is a small school and everyone knows you and you know everyone, it is easier to make close friends."

Exchange students appreciate the close-knit feel of MDHS. With a new building, local students and community members could increase this sense of family and "home" while exploring new potential academic, social, and cultural opportunities. New classes, new facilities, and new programs would enhance every aspect of the current school. McCall-Donnelly's face-lift could rejuvenate all aspects -- the architecture, the education, the programs, the Vandal identity. Its upcoming refinement could help McCall Donnelly High School offer the entire dream.

The authors of this viewpoint are currently seniors at McCall-Donnelly High School. They interviewed MDHS students, parents, teachers, and administrators in the winter of 2008. Written as a project for their 11th grade AP Language and American Literature class at The North Fork School in McCall, the piece required the authors to select a controversial topic in their community, to gather diverse opinions about it, and to synthesize the results of their efforts. The greatest challenge of the assignment was to present information in a positive manner, clearly and concisely enough to be acceptable for publication.

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Copyright September 26, 2008 Marie M. Furnary All rights reserved. Ê