Personal attention a key reason some opt for private school over No. 1 rated public schools
By Kathleen Acuff, Town Crier Staff Writer
 Pinewood fourth-grader Emily Crowder raises her hand during Diane Keller’s lecture. Many parents choose private schools for their smaller class sizes despite local public schools’ high state rankings. |
In a community with excellent public high schools and the No. 1 rated K-8 district in the state every year since ranking began five years ago, why would anyone pay to send a child to private school?
Parents, students and school administrators give the same reasons. Topping the list are smaller classes that allow a teacher to attend more closely to each child. Then there is the anxiety over volatile public school funding, a real concern even in affluent districts.
According to the Santa Clara County Office of Education, seven private schools operate in Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, seven in Mountain View and 10 in Palo Alto. We take a look at two local schools with a half-century of success behind them.
Pinewood’s K-6 program
Gil Brady and his family moved two miles from Mountain View to Los Altos at Thanksgiving for one reason: to be in the Los Altos School District. That’s not unusual - it’s why most families with young children move here. But this father of two young sons is the principal of Pinewood School’s K-6 campuses. His school-age son attends Pinewood, but Brady wants an option if the school turns out not to be the best place for him or his brother. Pinewood is a traditional school in which children sit in rows facing the teacher’s desk and work independently on most assignments. Children in Los Altos elementary schools sit in small groups at tables and work on projects together.
“The choice of public or private schools is important for a community,” Brady said last week. “If this environment isn’t the one for my sons, I wouldn’t lose one wink of sleep bringing them over to Santa Rita - or St. Nicholas, for that matter.”
Pinewood’s goal, Brady said, is to help students discover what they’re capable of, develop confidence in that capability, then use it for good.
“If you’re motivated by service and giving to the community, you’re going to be incredibly fulfilled. I think that’s what Gwen started,” he said.
Gwendolyn Riches, grandmother of Scott Riches, the school’s current president, taught drama and language arts to children in her home 45 years ago. The tiny primary school she and her husband Victor founded is now a K-12 school on three campuses. The two K-6 campuses are a block apart on Fremont Avenue in Los Altos.
Building on her work, each campus has a theater in which classes stage performances, and roughly half the K-6 class time is devoted to teaching English language skills by the Carden method. Kindergartners through sixth-graders work on different aspects of language for 2.5 hours four days a week; on the fifth day, they spend 3.5 hours on the subject.
Learning specialist Alice Johnson is passionate about the Carden method, which she describes as an organized, sequential and cumulative way of studying the structure of the English language in depth. Certain concepts are taught and practiced in kindergarten, then reviewed in first grade. New concepts are added and practiced, then reviewed in second grade, and so on. By the end of sixth grade, students have learned all the features of the language, Johnson said.
“Our students are known for their understanding of the English language, but you could spend twice the time on English (that most schools do) with another method and get the same success,” Brady said.
Brady said Pinewood looks at more than the child when it considers admissions applications. Parents also must pass muster, and that means they must model healthy adult behavior. The school doesn’t expect perfection from anyone, he said, but parents must communicate with their children and the school “honestly and authentically” and give evidence of “a healthy humility.” Brady said Pinewood stresses forgiveness, humility and “making a strong effort.”
“Kids’ environment today doesn’t demand humility, forgiveness or patience,” he said. “There’s no opportunity to develop patience, and the immediacy expectation can be frustrating to a learner. As educators, we have to figure out how to get children to believe in long-term efforts.”
Departmentalization begins in kindergarten. With a different teacher for each course, Johnson said, “children have the advantage of becoming very adaptable” as they learn that each teacher has slightly different expectations and styles.
The language arts instructor is the students’ core teacher, and specialists teach math, science, social studies, history and French. Children also take classes in art and music. Because the Pinewood view is that physical education is the basis for learning, all K-6 students take seven periods of PE each week. Learning specialist Johnson said the result is increased concentration, better organizational skills and improved learning.
St. Francis High School
St. Francis High School, established 50 years ago by the Roman Catholic Brothers of the Holy Cross, emphasizes faith, student leadership and community service, said principal Patricia Tennant last week. It also excels academically and athletically: All of last year’s seniors went on to college, and St. Francis holds more Central Coast Section championships than any other school.
The coeducational college preparatory school, located at 1885 Miramonte Ave. in Mountain View, is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. St. Francis attracts 1,200 college-bound applicants for 400 spots each year, but Tennant said the faculty works hard not to overemphasize academics.
“We don’t want the stress level too high,” she said.
This year the school has 16 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists and 22 commended scholars, but the principal is proudest of the 85 percent passing rate for AP exams.
Tennant described an extensive array of classes - 120 in eight departments, including 29 honors and advanced placement classes (30 are planned for next year). All students must complete two community service projects, and many add extra service projects, athletics, band and other activities to that requirement.
With serious homework on top of that, how do students manage it all? Four seniors pulled from a physics class to talk unsupervised with a reporter answered questions enthusiastically.
“We don’t sleep,” said Kaitlin Solera, as the others nodded their heads and laughed. Kaitlin takes five AP classes, and she rows several afternoons a week. In addition to her other community service projects, she is earning her Girl Scout Gold Award by teaching French at St. Nicholas School.
Jimmy Bouque explained, “With classes and two activities, you’re in bed by 9. People who stay up to 2:30 (a.m.) doing homework want to. They’re more ambitious.”
Asked what they like about St. Francis, all four seniors immediately named the small classes. Although the average class has 28 students, some classes are half that size, they said. They also praised teachers whose encouragement and advice extend beyond the classroom.
“As we say here, they don’t fill the bucket, they light the fire,” Jambu Palaniappan said.
Ranna Farzan appreciates having more than one guidance counselor to help students choose the right college. Jambu is glad for the opportunities he didn’t find in public school, such as the campus radio station for which he is sports director.
High on their list is a sense of community. The school’s 40 clubs and after-school activities make it easy to meet other students. Although being Roman Catholic isn’t necessary to feeling part of it all, “The religious implications really help the sense of community here. You really feel a sense of belonging. There’s that one thing that ties you all together,” said Jimmy, the student council’s Spirit Commissioner.
These seniors also appreciate the diverse student population drawn from all over the Bay Area. Going to school with people of other faiths, races and backgrounds helps them gain an idea of what “the real world” will be like, they said. Students are open to getting to know each other, there is no bullying or taunting, and there are no gangs, they added.
“People are here because they want to come here,” Ranna said.
Asked about a St. Francis student’s public statement last year that one-third of the school’s students are under the influence of illegal drugs every day, these four seniors said she had grossly exaggerated.
“The same issue is on every campus,” Jimmy said. “A public school has to keep a student and give them an education. You mess up here, you get kicked out.”
Jambu said, “There’s very little tolerance of that here.” He added that one of the Holy Cross brothers on campus is an anti-drug therapist.
Principal Tennant described her students as “very disciplined.”
“We have the opportunity to keep them disciplined,” she said. “The culture here is embracing - you’re not just a student. We care whether you ate a good breakfast or had a good interaction with your friends at lunchtime. We actively promote that with our teachers. The students have a ton of stress, and they love feeling the support of teachers, coaches and each other.”
