How well do you know our school? Those of you who have been here for some time probably know how to navigate through the halls with a certain degree of comfort. You have formed opinions about teachers and classes. You hear things in the halls about the school that give you a vague sense of indignation or pride.
But how well do you really know our school? Have you met the new teachers and administrators? Do you know how our boys water polo team is doing this season? When will the athletic field be ready? What’s your opinion on the recent Westfield Century City mall expansion? Do you know why students can no longer freely move their cars into the Swim Gym lot?
What about the district as a whole? Do you know about “the giant rocks,” as Superintendent Michael Bregy described them, facing our district? What do you know about the lawsuit over the Metro line, the budget deficit, the reconfiguration of our K-8 schools, the tension over teacher and staff salary raises, why we’re all in bungalows and why our superintendent now owns an oil well?
In truth, most of us on the Editorial Board didn’t know about these things, and some of us have been in the district our entire lives. But we do our best to keep tabs on this place we call home, so that you can too.
Becoming more informed about the issues facing our community is a way for us to hold the district accountable, to petition those in power to approve policies that help students first and fulfill political agendas last. It puts you, our readers, in a position to better our school.
But we can’t do it alone. You–students, parents, teachers, staff and community members–need to keep yourselves informed. We’re no longer a paper publication, which makes it all the easier for you. Check our website, subscribe to our social media accounts and download our app when it unveils in October.
Not only do we need you to keep yourself in the loop, but also keep us in it, too. We do our best to cover all that we can, but we’re only human. If you feel something is being underreported, unnoticed or ignored, drop us a line (using your BHUSD.com email, which you can log into using the username you use to log into school computers and your long ID number as the password). If you disagree with a position or way of coverage, write a letter to the editor and send it to [email protected].
We want to be your go-to source for campus and community related news; we hope to provide a voice for you, our readers; we strive to help our school and district reach their full potential. Highlights is only as good as the support and attention of its audience. And Beverly is only as good as the participation of its community.