Nice job

To the editor:

For too many years, Osceola County schools had, at best, underperformed academically. Each year’s poor performance had any number of excuses and apologies attached to it. Those days are over with the release of the 2009-10 high school letter grades from the Florida Department of Education Monday, Dec. 6, 2010.

Gateway High School, Liberty High School and Celebration High School all got a “D” grade from the state for the 2008-09 school year. Poinciana High School got an “F” for the 2008-09 school year. To his credit, Dr. Michael Grego did what a good superintendent should do — he provided leadership with a sense of urgency never seen before in our school district. First, he made no excuses. Instead, he went into action with curriculum, scheduling and personnel changes.

The results are simply outstanding, with all our high schools getting either an “A” or “B.” Couple that with a high school graduation rate that has jumped up 16 percent in just two years, and Osceola County public high schools are on a trajectory toward academic excellence unparalleled anywhere in Florida.

Most impressive is that Poinciana High School went in one year from an “F” to a “B,” and Celebration High School went from a “D” to an “A” in just one year.  Add on to that the fact that both Osceola and St. Cloud high schools are in the midst of comprehensive re-builds, plus they are both “B” high schools for the first time.

Students and staff are working harder than ever before in all our schools, and everyone’s hard work is paying off with exceptional achievement at a level we have never achieved before in our school district. We have always had exceptional magnet programs with the Osceola County School for the Arts and PATHS at TECO. Now these schools are no longer our lone “A” high schools.

Keep in mind that high school education is still evolving in Florida. Soon our students will have portions of the FCAT replaced with yearend course exams. Math testing is going from fill in the bubble answers to having to show the work, leaving no room for a lucky guess.

While we now have cause to celebrate our success, we must continue working to a higher standard. Not only is the bar for academic excellence rising, we can no longer afford to lag behind other nations in high school math and science achievement.

Sure it’s great to finally say we are outperforming Orange, Lake, Polk county high schools, etc. Our students need to be ready to compete with China, India, Germany, Singapore, etc. So please, everyone take pride in how well our high schools are performing. Just realize that this is just the start. Thank you to all the teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, administrators, facility/maintenance workers, support staff, and most of all our students for a job well done. Four “A” high schools, and six “B” high schools is a holiday gift we can all enjoy.

As a three-time elected Osceola County School Board member, I am as happy, pleased and proud of our results as I ever could be. Great job everyone. Keep up the good work.  Enjoy the holiday season.

Jay Wheeler
Osceola County School Board, District One

Suing again?

To the editor:

Seriously? Armando Ramirez is suing again? How many years has it been that he's been starting one lawsuit after another in an effort to get elected?

I guess he'll keep it up until he gets elected to something.

Can't he just take defeat like a man and give it up and quit wasting taxpayers’ time and money?

Buck Denzer
St. Cloud

Thanks, veterans

To the editor:

I stopped class this morning at 7:55 a.m. and read the first piece of information from Pearl Harbor. Then at 8:45 a.m., I continued with the information. Some of my students had no idea what had happened. One class was so interested, we spent 45 minutes discussing how this event changed the history of the world.

Thank you to all the veterans and to all of those who celebrate these great men and women.

Sarah Andriaccio
Reading and language arts teacher
Neptune Middle School