Year-Round School at North Hollywood

I am a student attending North Hollywood High School, and I am a part of the highly gifted magnet program. There have been many protests and activities attempting to stop our school from being on a year-round calendar. I am one of many against year-round schooling. I truly think that it is a very bad idea, and it could affect many students’ education, especially those who are not doing so great in school right now.

At our school, there were attempted walkouts and sit-ins at lunch to express our feelings about year-round schooling. Like me, many of my fellow students are complaining about how year-round schooling would eventually keep us in school all year long if we wanted to do activities on a different track.

Since I am not 18 yet, I am not able to vote, but in a few years, I will be able to, and people like [school board member] Caprice Young are certainly not getting my vote if they do not do anything about this soon. I hope that even students from other schools will feel what we feel and step in on this to give us more support, leading to not having year-round schooling.

PETER KIM

Los Angeles

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There are 17 fewer days in [year-round schedules], but 5 more minutes in each class. In reality, how much material can a teacher get through with an extra 5 minutes each day? Advanced Placement classes can’t be taken on the year-round track, completely destroying the lives of studious kids like myself.

Board members state that they want to hear from the community, parents and kids about this year-round issue, but when we voice our opinions, they are deaf and blind. The community does not want year-round!

This affects everyone, whether they choose to admit it of not. Year-round is a lazy, short-term solution to a long-term problem of overcrowding.

KIMIKO NARITA

Tarzana

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Throughout the week of March 26-31, the students [signed] petitions and [wore] yellow ribbons to show their disapproval of going year-round. On March 30, some students declared a walkout. The school faculty . . . enclosed all participating students on the football field. The students at my school feel that they should have a say in what is going on, but neither the faculty nor the school board listens to us or takes us seriously. The educational system encourages kids to get involved, but when we did we were corralled into a small area just like we were animals.

The message that our students have been shown is to not voice opinions and just go along with what is happening. If this is not what my school’s administration is trying to convey, then something must be done to show that every individual is given the opportunity to succeed and is given his or her due respect.

GARETH MANDEL

Los Feliz

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Parents and students at North Hollywood are opposed to multitrack scheduling at any school in L.A. The Concept 6 schedule divides a school into three groups of students and teachers. There is always one group “off track” or on vacation at any given time. Students can only take courses or sports or music, etc. offered on their track; they can only have the teachers on their track; they go to school 17 fewer days and have vacation for two months after every two months of class. Does that sound like a plan to increase student achievement?

This is warehousing. It has to stop. All schools on Concept 6 should be given the opportunity to develop alternative local plans to return to a single track, if they desire.

When will The Times and Los Angeles realize that Belmont and [North Hollywood] are only examples of a citywide crisis?

We must build more schools all over the city now. When will city and state officials stop fighting and trying to punish the district by holding up money or permits or available tracts of land? The district is not the one suffering; it’s our kids.

LINDA DORMAN

Los Angeles