Alisal is known for many things, but not all of them are positive. While many people know about the excellence of the school’s sports, not many know about the excellence in education.
There are many talented students at Alisal and there is a new program to acknowledge them called Setting the Bar.
This program was created by English teacher Howard Cooney and Principal Ernesto Garcia to acknowledge these great students’ achievements in class. Both felt that they needed to honor students that are doing well academically at the faculty staff meetings by giving them a certificate in front of all the staff and their parents. “We needed to praise the student’s academics by giving them a nice framed certificate and something that will look good to put on their resume,” says Cooney.
This award is not an easy award to get; you must earn it by being nominated by a teacher(s). Cooney is the coordinator of this program and he collects the applications and then has the staff choose the most outstanding student. “I think the parents are very pleased to see the faculty praise their son or daughter, by focusing attention on our talented children who we are very proud of,” says Cooney.
This school year there have been four recipients to this prestigious award: Senior Melody Denis, and Juniors Michael Ortega, Alexis Castillo, and Brenda Rodriguez. These students rose above the standards to try their best in class, taking Advance Placement Classes, and doing sports. Junior Brenda Rodriguez the latest recipient of this award. She is currently taking 3 A.P. classes, has a 4.037 GPA, and does Track and Field. “I feel that my hard work paid off and I feel really proud of myself,” says Rodriguez.
Another recipient is Melody Denis, who was nominated because she took four A.P. classes last year and passed all the tests. “It’s a great idea to honor students who rise above the standards in order to encourage more students to do better,” says Denis.
The staff is the most important part of this program since they are who nominate and choose the winner. Mick Battaglini, the junior AP English teacher and the Girls’ Varsity basketball coach, thinks this a good program. “It’s good to recognize students who are excelling and it’s important that the students know that the staff recognizes their hard work and praises them at the staff meeting, although I feel we should recognize them in front of all the school,” says Battaglini. Carolyn Cleaves, a Health teacher, also like the program but thinks there should be a few adjustments. “ I like the program, although I would suggest doing one grade level at a time and recognize them in the Tuesday’s edition of The Californian under the Education section,” says Cleaves.
Overall, the staff is supportive of the program and it will continue celebrating student’s achievements. And the teachers will continue to encourage students to try their best to win this award, while they continue to refine and expand how best to recognize student achievement.