EDITORIAL : CONQUERING HEROES; EL CAMINO'S ACADEMIC DECATHLON TEAM SHOULD BE TREATED LIKE ROYALTY.THEY ought to get a ticker-tape parade A ticker-tape parade is a parade event, held in a downtown urban setting, allowing the jettison of large amounts of shredded paper products from nearby office buildings onto the parade route, creating a triumphal effect by the snowstorm-like flurry. down Broadway. They ought to get unlimited parking passes to the Getty Museum. They ought to get keys to the city and a standing ovation at a City Council meeting attended by all 15 members. El Camino Real El Camino Real (Spanish for The Royal Road or The King's Highway) was the name of a series of pre-automobile highways linking the various New World colonies of Spain:
L.A. should celebrate their triumph - but it probably won't. The Los Angeles Unified School District The Los Angeles Unified School District (the "LAUSD") is the largest (in terms of number of students) public school system in California and the second-largest in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population. has so little to celebrate these days. And when it does recognize achievement, it hogs all the glory for all the wrong people - administrators with little if any input. The glory here goes to the eight El Camino students who spent thousands of hours preparing for the national title with the help of dedicated teachers and parent volunteers. Team members are Taimur Baig, Michael Beatty, Steve Chae, Nancy Fu, Bruce Ngo, Elana Pelman, Carina Carina (kərē`nə) [Lat.,=the keel], southern constellation, representing the keel of the ancient constellation Argo Navis, or Ship of the Argonauts. Carina contains Canopus, the second brightest star in the sky. Yuen and Adi Zarchi. Mark Johnson and David Roberson coached the team. These students deserve to savor their victory. The eight-member team competed with one less member than other squads but still won 31 individual medals, including four golds in language and literature. Out of 60,000 possible points, El Camino earned 52,131, enough to edge out Texas rival and last year's national winner, James E. Taylor High School James E. Taylor High School, also known as Katy Taylor High School, is a public high school in Harris County, Texas, near the city of Katy. The school, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Katy Independent School District. . El Camino's success demonstrates what can be accomplished when students, their parents and teachers develop a commitment to learning and excellence. During the past several years, El Camino appeared three times at the national finals, placing second twice but never winning. Obviously, they didn't give up. The LAUSD LAUSD Los Angeles Unified School District (Los Angeles, CA) should place El Camino on the list of schools that should be studied and cloned for what works. The formula is simple - dynamic, balanced relationships among students, parents and teachers. Parents who are involved and supportive help create a faculty that is responsive to students. And a faculty that isn't overwhelmed by a moribund bureaucracy from above leads to an environment where people feel ownership of schools. While El Camino is a shining example, several other LAUSD schools have achieved individual success. It's time to imitate what works. |
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