Berkeley Parents Network: Starting Berkeley High

Berkeley Parents Network

Starting Berkeley High

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > K-12 Schools > Berkeley Public Schools > Berkeley High School > Starting Berkeley High

Questions

Entering Berkeley High in the fall - staying safe
Moving to Berkeley from out of town and starting BHS
How to find out info about starting Berkeley High
Worried about child of color starting BHS
13-year-old about to start BHS - any advice?

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Moving to Berkeley from out of town and starting BHS

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

Entering Berkeley High in the fall - staying safe

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!!

How to find out info about starting Berkeley High

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

Child of color starting BHS

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

13-year-old about to start BHS - any advice?

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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