Berkeley High School

Posted Sunday, October 12, 2008

I moved to Berkeley during the summer and am currently attending Berkeley High School as a sophomore. I'm sad to say that I am not happy with this school. I was placed into Community Partnerships Academy (CPA, one of the 'small schools') without any choice. The teachers are, for the most part, wonderful, but the most of the students are horribly noisy, disruptive, and rude. It's really not the teachers' fault, they try to make the students stop, but they won't. I made several attempts to change to the large school (academic choice) but I have not been able to. From what people have told me, AC (academic choice) is entirely different. The administration doesn't appear to care about the needs of individual students, they only care about the school's overall image. On the bright side, there seems to be no 'bullying', as I have experienced in other schools.
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Posted August 21, 2008

I am not pleased with this school. So far, I have met only one helpful person. The administration does not know anything, and rude when you ask them for some help. The idea of small schools is not that great; especially the whole idea with the lottery. That is a very controversial system because of the way that students are chosen into the schools. I had very high expectations of this school, and I was l extremely disappointed with this school. I am considering changing schools as soon as possible.
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Posted July 31, 2008

I am a teacher entering my 2nd yr at BHS. I often find myself dumbfounded by the responses I get when I tell people I teach at BHS. They range from the, 'Oh, I'm so sorry for you,' to, 'Geez, that must be rough,' to a frown. Yes, BHS is big and loud and crazy. However, we are an academic powerhouse (look at our AP and soon to be IB programs, as well as our extraordinary college placements), our arts programs are second to none, our sports programs are huge and varied (from your traditional to lacrosse, crew, and rugby), and, like most reviews say, we are very diverse (possibly our biggest strength and struggle at the same time). The administration, under the leadership of Jim Slemp, is wonderful and the teachers are dedicated. There is a reason why BHS students do so well at the next level.
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Posted June 10, 2008

BHS is a great school for focused and Motivated students. Small schools can be problematic for student if they are a high achiever because these program tend to make honors and AP/IB Courses difficult to take. It teaches kids about being a self-advocate and independence.
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