Historic Changes at CVHS

Change is in the air and it’s especially thick at Crescenta Valley High School.

With the memories of prom night and Prom Plus still fresh, the senior class is getting ready to graduate on Tuesday. Unlike years past, this class is graduating on the field at Crescenta Valley High School. Traditionally the senior class graduates on Stengel Field in Glendale, but the bleachers are in disrepair so last year the class made its way to Glendale Community College. However, because the date of high school graduation was moved up, the college is administering final exams, so GCC is unavailable. Rather than looking for another venue, it was decided that this class would take to the school’s Osborne Field on Tuesday.

The Crescenta Valley High School class of 2013 is not the first to graduate on campus (the first two or three years of the school’s existence we think graduated in the auditorium), but it is believed to be the first class to graduate on the field. So, it’s a historic occasion. (Make sure and read Mary O’Keefe’s story this week to learn the ins and outs of the commencement exercises.)

Another change that will be impacting the school’s future is the search for a new principal. Michele Doll, who took over the reins from Linda Evans three years ago, is moving onto the district level in the Human Resources area. Superintendent Dick Sheehan hosted a forum in the campus library last night (note that this column was written prior to the meeting). The public was invited to attend and I hope that the community took time to sit down and discuss with Dick those things that are important to them. Because there are items on the table that need to be addressed. Specifically, the issue of closing the high school campus for lunch has yet to be decided.

This is a hot button subject because it has so many stakeholders. For example, local food providers (Señor Nacho, Le Bon Patisserie French Bakery on Foothill Boulevard by Office Depot and the new Byblos pizzeria, to name a few) rely on the dollars paid by CVHS students at lunchtime. And can the school accommodate feeding nearly 3,000 students in a 40-minute span?

Conversely, during lunch nearby streets become congested with students racing to buy lunch and get back to school before their afternoon classes start. Neighbors of the school have complained of trash left on their front lawns by students as well. Another issue has been tardies and absences after lunch by errant students. The good news, however, is that issue has greatly improved over the last year. (Recommendation: parents – read the handbook distributed to students at the first of the year as the boundaries of the school property have changed.)

I would like to throw my two cents into the mix regarding the debate of closing the high school campus for lunch.

I graduated from Poly High School in Sun Valley in ’78. Back then, we had a limited open campus lunch policy. Students had to get permission from their parents to go off campus for lunch and permission had to be granted by the school administration. Permission could be revoked – by either party – at any time.

I propose a similar policy at CVHS. Perhaps limit it to just junior and senior students or students with a certain citizenship grade. In other words, it is a privilege that the students need to earn rather than a perk of attending CV.

Because so many people in our community care about this issue, I encourage attendance to any of the meetings that the district hosts. Also, take the time to send a note to the superintendent (dsheehan@gusd.net). Let the decision-makers know your thoughts on any issue that a new principal will be handling.

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Finally, note my headshot above. Yes, today, May 30 is my birthday but you’re getting the gift. In today’s CV Weekly is the inaugural issue of Discover Crescenta Valley, the first of what I hope is an annual magazine that showcases the many people, places and events that make living here so great.

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Robin Goldsworthy is the publisher of the Crescenta
Valley Weekly. She can be
reached at robin@cvweekly.com
or (818) 248-2740.

  robin goldsworthy