Starting Berkeley High
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Starting Berkeley High
September 2006
We are considering moving to Berkeley from out of town next summer.
Our sons will
enter grades 9&10 in 2007. They are a bit shy but friendly and good
students. Is it
socially difficult for kids entering BHS at grade 10 to make friends?
How accepting are
the kids there to newcomers? Do the high school kids have well
established peer
groups or is it more fluid? Our 10th grader will likely be in jazz
band. The younger
boy will be active in basketball.
Extra-curriculars are a great way to get to know other students
at Berkeley High. It is a really big school, so there is room
for all different kinds of kids and no single group dominates
the school. Some students have known each other since
elementary school, but there are kids from all over the Bay Area
(and the world!) so there are lots of ''newcomers.'' If your guys
are confident and open-minded they could have a truly unique and
wonderful experience at BHS.
--- BHS booster
Just wanted to second the advice about extracurricular
activities. I think one of the great things about Berkeley
High is that there seems to be something for everyone. Getting
involved in a sport or a club is an excellent way for your sons
to get to know a smaller group of people with whom they share at
least one interest. Make sure you subscribe to the BHS e-tree,
and you'll see many announcements about meetings/activities of
the various clubs and athletic teams.
happy BHS parent
You'll get lots of feedback on this question from folks who both love
and hate the High School. Remember, your results may vary... As described, your
boys are likely to do very well at Berkeley High, and make the most of
whatever program they end up in. Small School assignment has been reworked to
guarantee each includes the full range of Berkeley (and Oakland) kids.
What program your sons get into will be controlled by factors including the
average income, educaiton and race of the people in your new neighborhood. I'd
recommend asking for any program that sounds interesting, but not
getting your hopes up. Lots of interesting things are happening outside the
Small Schools, too.
Berkeley High is an amazing place for motivated, talented,
self-directed kids. It also has great resources and support for kids coming in with economic or
educational disadvantages. Its a good fit for a kid in either of those populations. My own kids
fall into a large underserved population
somewhere in the middle and have had a tougher time of it --- but still are doing fine.
The Jazz Band is famous. Video classes and internships are possible,
both at the HS and in the community. I don't know anything about the Basketball
team, but would urge your sons to consider rowing Crew instead. The
Crew team and the Jazz Band have both won national awards in the last year.
With Latin they make up the three most memorable programs at Berkeley High.
Participating in any one of the three increases the likelyhood of
loving your time at BHS. But, each one takes enough time that doing more than one is probably
not a good idea.
Crew Parent in Recovery
I have my grandson at BHS and we are quite happy with the
school. The last five years he was in a small private
school and he thought it would be fun to be with a larger
group. There doesn't seem to be much violence, the teachers
are good, classes challenging, and there are plenty of
potential friends. With the new set-up of ''small schools''
within BHS, you have the comfort of knowing your child is
known by his/her teacher, as in a small school, but the
child has the chance to enjoy the excitement of a big city
school. The teachers are very good about communicating
through e-mail, and the principal, Mr. Slemp, seems to be a
great administrator. I don't know anything about the
basketball culture. Hope this helps.
barbh
June 2006
What advice would you give to a 13 year old girl entering Berkeley
High on how to stay safe on and around campus? Would like to
hear from other parents of teens about their daughters'
experiences. Thanks
dd
My daughter just finished her freshman year at BHS!! Whew!! I'm not sure
what you mean by staying safe? Is she afraid of older kids picking on her?
Being harassed by the crazies on Shattuck? These are things that can happen,
but I'm assuming that she is going in with friends and and they usually travel
in a pack. I didn't hear any reports from my daughter being hasseled by older
kids. They pretty much ignore the freshman. I think she will learn how to
handle herself after a while. What people on Shattuck to stay away from,
where she's comfortable hanging out, etc. It takes several months to adjust to
the largeness of the school, being jostled in the halls (not on purpose), and
figuring out the fastest routes to her classes. I coached my daughter to keep
her head up, eye's open, walk with a purpose, and know what's happening
around you. We both had some adjustments to make as far as the open
campus. They can leave school for lunch. It's an amazing freedom for most
kids who didn't have that in the Berkeley public middle schools. Mostly
everyone goes to Shattuck Ave or the park (btw, they don't smoke pot in the
park, it's too close to school). The problem is getting back to school on time
for 4th period. That was a BIG problem in the begining of the year, but slowly
she got it through her pretty head that the school calls home for every tardy
and absence and I would hear about it. I made several trips to the attendance
office to have her attendance report printed out to figure what classes she
was absent or tardy for (the attendance people are VERY nice). I never felt she
was unsafe as far as being beat up or hurt in anyway. But the best way to
insure against that is to have friends and to be respectful to others. There are
security guards on campus, and during lunch there are other administrators
around. There are evening events at the theater throughout the year, which a
lot of kids want to go to with thier friends, just be sure to be there when it's
over to pick her and the friends up. Unless she's been a cloistered child up
until now, she will be fine.
made it through 9th grade!!
Oct 2005
Re: How do I apply for the Academic Choice program?
Berkeley High schedules a series of information meetings in
the spring both at BHS and the three BUSD middle schools for
incoming 9th graders and their families which include
information on the small schools, the math sequence, PE
requirements, electives, how to register, etc. The dates for
these meetings have not yet been set. For families not yet
enrolled in the district or contemplating private schools,
an earlier meeting has been scheduled for November 15, 2005
in the Community Theater at 7 p.m. If you are interested
in visiting the school, parent led tours will start
following the November 15 meeting. Tours, by appointment
only, leave the front office at 9:45 a.m. on most days. To
sign up for a tour, please contact Janet Huseby, the BHS
volunteer coordinator, at jhuseby@pacbell.net. These tours
are not geared towards students though students are welcome
IF accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Janet Huseby
May 2004
Hi - I have a ninth-grader starting at BHS in the fall. I'm
looking for insight about the best teachers for an inquisitive,
sensitive boy who is smart, vocal, engaged and eager to
please, has good study habits but is not super-academic,
and is very sociable. He is good at math, OK in English and
social studies, loves sports. He needs creativity and adults
who are not punitive, but who motivate and encourage and
are not afraid of dialogue. He has spent the last 6 years in
small independent schools. He applied for CAS and did not
get in (like Anonymous, I have no clear idea why). He also is
a child of color, so I'm afraid he'll be shuttled into the
low-achieving classes because of his race and the fact we
don't live in the hills. Any advice about good, challenging
teachers/classes for my child? Any insight about the BHS
system is welcome. Thanks!
nervous mom
I work at Berkeley High as an Instructional Assistant and I
have a son who attends Berkeley High. It has been my
experience that, as a scool policy, you are not allowed any
choice over what teachers your son will have. I've had the
opportunity to work in quite a few different classrooms and
the majority of the teachers I've observed have been very
dedicated and good at relating to students.
I wouldn't worry about your son being tracked into lower-
acheiving classes due to race. If he was doing OK,
acedemically, in middle school he should start out on the
same level as the majority of incoming freshmen.As long as
he does his work, puts in an adequate effort, passes his
classes and does not have serious behavioral or attendance
problems, he should do well at Berkeley High.
Eleanor
I don't know how to say this to you, NERVOUS MOTHER, but
at BHS one does not get to pick teachers for one's
children.
My daughter started BHS a couple of years ago, was admitted
to CAS, but declined the acceptance because she knew she
would be interested in Academic Choice as a sophomore,
(A.C. is not available to freshmen), and thought it would
not be fair to take advantage of CAS and its teachers
during the 9th grade only to switch in the 10th.
She is not of color and lives in the hills and suffered
thru an incompetent 9th grade math teacher.
So, you see, neither race nor address played a part...so
hopefully, if your child does not luck out with wonderful
teachers...please do not attribute it to anything else but
the luck of the draw.
Most importantly, if you pass on to your child the feeling
that if he does not always have extraordinary experiences,
at BHS or elsewhere, that it is solely due to his race or
status, you will be doing him a great disservice.
There was a time when older students selected teachers at
Berkeley High, but no longer. So it doesn't really matter
what teachers are good. He will get who they assign. If he
likes sports, I recommend that he sign up for a team. It is
a good way to make friends, and it also allows more freedom
in the schedule for electives. If he signs up for Latin, he
will get Ms. Herdon and Ms. Morrison, both great teachers,
and great kids take the class, so that approach is works
well. In addition, you might try signing up for Academic
Choice, which is not a small school. I think anyone gets
in, but they have few students of color according to a
school newspaper article I just read, so they would be
happy to be more diverse. Maybe you could get another
student of color to join with your son, so he has a buddy.
It is a program for kids who care about their education.
The expectations are supposed to be just a little bit
higher. I don't know if this is true, but it is worth a
try. I don't think the school will ''shuttle him into low
achieving classes'' because of his color. I think it is the
students who segregate themselves.
BHS doesn't really work the way you think. Hills or
flatlands makes no special difference. The ninth grade
core classes tend to have a broad range of kids,
advanced and lagging in all of them. This is particularly
true of the English and IES classes. Other classes
split the kids more because of subject matter - Honors
Geometry for example has only kids who like or are
pretty good at math. Doing Latin or German as
languages will guarantee your child a great teacher,
where with other languages it's more of a lottery.
Ceramics, photo, orchestra, and drama are electives
where they have a good chance of a terrific teacher. In
tenth grade kids can join Academic Choice where they
have more teachers that will encourage them to stretch
themselves, for example in world history. A lot depends
on kids having a good group of supportive friends -
either from middle school or through a particular club or
interest or sport.
Fiona
It is my understanding that you can not request teachers at
Berkeley HIgh, and that the new Freshan curriculum is designed to
orient all incoming students to high school life. There are many
excellent teachers but if you want extra additional academics you
should take an advanced foreign language or Honors Geometry
with require prerequisites or placement tests. It is useful if you want
to take AP science as a Sophmore to take the 9th grade science
elective. I truly feel that the BHS staff is committed to academic
excellence for all students, particularly minorities students who
often come to high school will poor skills. The bigger problem for
them is finding an academically inclined peer group which will
support and encourage each other to achieve academically.
Does your child play an instrument? Try band or orchestra. Karen
Wells is amazing. What about art? The Art Department provides a
supportive environment for kids who are creative. The key is to find
a place where your student feels surrounded by like-minded kids
with suportive teachers.
Soph mom
TO the mom of the ''child of color''. Good for you for
recognizing that there are clear racialized differences at
BHS. As a mom of a child of color, I have read the
studies, was a student there myself, have many friends (of
all colors) with a variety of fightening experiences about
BHS. Unfortunately, we still have a lot of work to do
around social distribution and, as the responses to your
posting demonstrated, around people's understanding about
how social systems work. As a mother of a child of color,
I decided that BHS would not be the best choice for her.
We have so many obstacles to struggle against as it is,
and if your child is not an A student and is struggling
with behavior at all (due to many normal teenage factors)
then he can easily be labeled, put on the wrong track,
etc... Check out Pedro Noguera's study of a few years
back. Race does matter because educational systems have
become racialized. This does not mean that your child of
color will automatically fail, but it does mean that he
has to prove himself more than others. It also doesn't
mean that all white children automatically do well, but
look at the stats - to ignore them is to ignore reality.
My advice to you if you do send your son to BHS is to be
very aware of what is happening and speak up as soon as
you see wrong doing. I chose not to send my child to
public and put her in a private school that ensures a
diverse student population and teaching staff that
actively works for EQUITY for all students. You can not
blame students for social systems that are already in
place all around you. Good luck to you.
anon
March 1999
I have a 13 year old daughter about to
start Berkeley High. My first question would be: any advice for
parents of teens about to start BHS?
The rule at BHS is that kids can do very well there if they get involved
and make it happen. They also can get lost in the shuffle if they
don't. Kind of like real life. I do recommend the CAS (Communications
Arts and Sciences) program. It is a small school within the big school
and geared
toward video production and communications. The teachers are very
involved and it is a group of 60 kids each year who spend most of their
school time together.) -- Barbara
re: Mom with 13 year old entering BHS. I had a
recommendation from Terri Gerritz at MLK Middle School which we are
planning to follow. She told me that the kids from King that she knew
who took Ethnic Studies in summer school before 9th grade had not only
enjoyed the class, but also felt a bit more familiar with the Berkeley
High School plant, and were pleased to have lightened their load in the
freshman year. Ethnic Studies is mandatory in 9th grade and it is a
class with homework. Terri said the transition to more homework in high
school is softened by eliminating this class from the fall or spring
schedule. I hope that this class will fly this summer because my
daughter is planning to take it in the 3 week summer session (June
21-July 9). Classes will not be offered if there are insufficient
signups. - Edith
Re: entering Berkeley High.
I highly recommend encouraging your child to get involved in one of the
sports. For some this comes naturally. My son is not super-competitive
or super-athletic but there are teams for those kids as well. If you
child enjoys swimming, I highly recommend water polo. It's a fall
sport, everyone who tries out gets on the team, and it's a great way to
meet kids who are in different grades at Berkeley High. (For those for
whom it is an issue, yes they do have to wear Speedos but they are very
adept at wrapping towels around themselves while on deck and jumping
into the water quickly.) Bill Gaebler is the coach and is a wonderful
person.
I also recommend the Communications Arts and Sciences (CAS) program.
It's not a cure all but does give the kids a much smaller group to
associate with and some of the most caring teachers at Berkeley High.
For more info on either feel free to contact me. Sally Nasman
Berkeley High offers bridge program for entering freshman. But students can
also take regular offerings like English or History. That leaves more room
in the schedule for fun stuff like art.
Sally (Jan 2000)
I know the District has a committee to discuss options, including types of
classes. In the past summer school has been 6 weeks, 2 hours for each
class, a variety of classes with students taking 1 or 2 classes. As an
8th grade V.P. I have recommended classes for students who aren't going
away or have jobs. Students earn BHS credit. For some students, they
learn where classes are located and get a feel for high schools. Last
year applications for summer school were given in late April, early May.
Doreen Sing
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