Monday, Aug. 29, 2011 | 2 a.m.
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I only have one chance to make a first impression on the first day of school. Kids have to know it’s not the same Chaparral they left last year. We’ve done all that we could in a short time frame to change the exterior of the buildings. We added the banners on the front of the building, a fresh paint job, the big C for Chaparral.
That’s why we’re going to have the band out front today, out greeting them, being excited with kids. In the big courtyard we’ll have new speakers playing music.
The whole issue from this very first morning is to set that tone. You only have one opportunity to set that tone for the kids, and we have to be on our A game.
I’m focused on changing that culture, and that’s why I worry about things that I’m cracking down on. You don’t want open rebellion and open revolt. There will be no electronic devices, period, from 7:30 until lunch at 1:40 p.m. When you have kids who are used to aimlessly texting and taking calls at will, walking into class with ear buds at will, listening to music and ignoring teachers, instruction suffers. The bottom line is graduating kids and you can’t graduate kids if they’re not learning. By damn, they need to be doing their part, which is participating.
I absolutely positively know there will be pushback. Do I hope there will be none? Yes. Do I think there will be? Yes. It’s the 80-20 rule: 80 percent will go along with the rule; 20 percent will be upset. The 2 percent is who I will hear from. The parents will call into newspapers, TV stations, the School District. I don’t have a problem with that. I’m simply enforcing Clark County School District rules.
We will have zip ties for kids with sagging pants, saggers. When I came in last year, kids literally had their entire butts hanging out. That’s unacceptable.
It goes right down to the tardy policy. They’re used to just walking the hallways aimlessly, and we’re not going to let that happen, and the last thing is we’re not going to let kids exit the classroom unless it’s an absolute emergency. Most of the damage to the campus, etched glass, graffiti was done by kids either just wandering out of the classroom or saying that I have to go to the bathroom and never coming back. That change is just going to help keep things under control.
Those are huge changes in culture. We have to get the routine and procedures under control. It’s not going to be this easy walk in the park. But I’m looking forward to it.
Chaparral High School has seen better days.
Once among the top performing schools in the Clark County School District, Chaparral High is undergoing changes to counter dismal test scores and the lowest graduation rate in the district.
The campus located near East Flamingo Road and U.S. 95 is one of five turnaround schools not meeting the expectations outlined in No Child Left Behind.
Chaparral is now looking to clean up its reputation, touching every aspect of the school from restrooms to test scores.
Changes weren’t received well by students who openly protested the cuts to faculty and the new order that banned the use of cell phones and music players during the school day.
Under stricter rules, tardy students are locked out of classrooms, bathroom breaks during class time aren’t allowed and the lunch hour was pushed back to 1:40 p.m.
Superintendent Dwight Jones told students he’s not settling for half successes.
“Right now, 50 percent of the kids in this school don’t graduate high school. Is that acceptable to you? Think about that. Right now, some of the friends that you’re with aren’t going to graduate. Is that OK? That’s unacceptable to me. I think you guys ought to kick all of us out.”
- Year built:
- 1971
- Mascot:
- Cowboys
- Principal (Year Hired):
- David Wilson (2011)
- Enrollment:
- Approximately 2,250
- School Report Card:
- 2010-2011
Compiled by Gregan Wingert
David Wilson is the principal at Chaparral High School.
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