In defense of Leko

I am the former chairman of the La Cañada School Site Council, former representative to the La Cañada Unified Curriculum Council, and a La Cañada High School graduate. I was recently informed of a complaint filed against Gabrielle Leko regarding actions taken during the 2010-2011 school year. Cynthia Wilcox has insinuated that Leko is both anti-Semitic and sexist toward the female members of her class.

As a former student of Leko’s AP Calculus BC class during the school year in question, I can assure you these claims are unfounded and false. Leko is one of the finest teachers La Cañada High School employs. She belongs to a class of teachers who do more than educate: They inspire their students. They are the ones who truly make LCHS a pinnacle of secondary education.

In the year I was a student of Leko, I saw no indication of any of these allegations. She supported all of her students and was in no way discriminatory. The very thought that she degraded the female members of her classes is ludicrous. This complaint continues a string of actions that has led me to the understanding that the LCUSD administration has a poor understanding of how the high school actually functions.

It is the teachers who deserve the credit and praise for LCHS’s consistent performance as a top-flight school. You do not have to look any further than Leko’s BC Calculus class. A short list of schools that members of the 2010-2011 class are now attending includes Stanford, Princeton, MIT, Brown, USC, Caltech, Georgetown, and many more.

And so, I implore you, do not rob La Cañada High School of one of its finest educators. Gabrielle Leko is the defining figure of the math department. Her dedication and hard work have been reflected in the successes of LCHS alumni.

Ethan Sox

La Cañada Flintridge