Hello, my name is Angie Hinojos Yusuf and I have three
children in the Northshore School District.
I have a petition here started by concerned NSD
parents. It is titled Save Our Challenge
and it states: “I believe that Challenge is a vital part of our Northshore
School District Program. Please ensure
that dedicated Challenge/Honors classes for all academic subjects are part of
the new middle school plan.”
This petition garnered over 700 signatures in less than a week from community
members around the District who emphatically want to keep the Challenge Program
going. I also have with me 18 pages of
testimony from concerned community members, including students, who have laid
out thoughtful and compelling reasons for keeping the Challenge Program intact.
I’d like to end with some comments from the petition:
A parent from Bothell said
“I am signing because children are more motivated to learn when they are
surrounded by like-minded peers. They
challenge and motivate each other.”
A student from Woodinville wrote, “ I’m signing because Challenge class was very
good for me in Junior High School. In
non-Challenge classes I felt like the curriculum moved too slowly.”
A parent from Bothell wrote, ”Research shows that Middle
School is an absolutely critical time for keeping academically focused kids,
especially girls, engaged in challenging learning opportunities with
like-minded peers. In the absence of a
like-minded peer group, the pressure to conform can push them away from higher
academic performance.”
And finally, a past student wrote “
I am a proud graduate of the Honors program at Northshore Junior High. I am currently a PhD candidate at UC Berkeley
and can say that the Honors program was incredibly valuable to my learning and
development. It would be a shame and a
wasted opportunity if it weren’t made available for the benefit of future
generations.”
Please consider the overwhelming support from the NSD
community and please, Save Our Challenge.
Before I go, I’d like to ask everyone who is here in support
of Challenge classes to please stand up.
Thank you.
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