18 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY APRIL 10-16, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com Grade A Too often, the media focuses on the low points in our schools—we want to celebrate the highs. By The Monterey Bay Teachers Association FORUM As proud educators of Seaside High School, we write to our community this spring, as the 202425 school year comes to a close. Our goal as a campus is to create a space where all of our students, educators and staff feel welcomed, empowered and engaged in high-quality learning opportunities. We consistently reflect on where we have been and the work that still needs to happen so that all of our students have equitable access to future opportunities. (Over 81 percent of Seaside High’s student body is Latino, higher than Monterey Peninsula Unified School District’s 61 percent; 24 percent are English language learners.) We appreciate the shared commitment that many in our community feel to achieve this goal of expanding students’ opportunities, and look forward to continuing to strive together. While the local media has repeatedly highlighted the struggles of our school community, we feel that it is high time that Seaside High staff, educators and most especially our students, be duly celebrated for all they have achieved. To that end, we invite our community to celebrate with us the following achievements: • We continue to increase our high school graduation rate. Last year, 94.8 percent of our students graduated, while the state average is 86.7 percent. • We have provided more dual enrollment opportunities in classes like math and business, with 27 percent of students taking advantage of those offerings this year. • Our students have more opportunities to access Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses than any other school in Monterey Peninsula Unified School District. • We have won the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award five years in a row. • This year we took our Black Student Association on a field trip to visit colleges and universities, and some students were accepted on the spot. • Our staff and students reported their highest sense of belonging in the last few years on our annual assessment. • Our music program has traveled the state, bringing home top rankings and awards due to the students’ commitment and hard work, in addition to engaging our local community with music. • Our sports teams have grown over the past two years, with girls flag football and wrestling starting in 2025, as well as adding programs for girls and boys volleyball. Female participation in athletics has increased by 30 percent over the past two years and parent involvement has increased with the start of the athletic booster club. We are the educators of a phenomenal group of students, the colleagues of incredible educators and we are proud to work arm in arm as part of the Seaside community as we continue to move Seaside High School, and all of Seaside, forward together. This story is written by a group of educators who teach 9th-12th grade at Seaside High School and are members of the Monterey Bay Teachers Association. If you have an educator you especially wish to acknowledge and celebrate for their work, please reach out to mbtahelp@gmail.com. OPINION It is time our students be duly celebrated. LESS MONEY, MORE GRATIFICATION Dr. Stephanie Taylor is looking for an experienced OB/GYN, Primary Care physician or Internal Medicine physician to join her medical practice. There is no salary, and the opportunity to earn depends on the amount of time worked. This is exactly the way physicians used to practice 30 years ago. When you can spend an adequate time with patients, it is immensely gratifying. Interested parties can send an email to Dr. Taylor at drtaylor@womanswellspring.com Absolute confidentiality of each inquiry is assured. Stephanie Taylor MD PhD 26365 Carmel Rancho Blvd, Ste F, Carmel World Affairs Council of the Monterey Bay Area April Event Do We Need Foreign Aid? Thursday, April 24 Mark Ward 30 Year veteran of USAID, Oregon State University Instructor In the belief that our foreign aid program has not served our national interest, the new Administration has dismantled the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and froze nearly all the contracts and grants that it funded. Our guest, Mark Ward, worked for USAID in the Foreign Service for over 30 years in some of the world’s most dangerous places. Ward will discuss the need for long overdue reform of our foreign aid program but argue that the United States will suffer without foreign aid. www.wacmb.org or call (831) 643-1855 5:30pm Registration • 6pm Dinner • 6:45pm Speaker Presentation Reservations Required • Deadline is Thursday, April 17 $45 for members • $55 for guests - WACMB will accept auditors to this event Hilton Garden Inn, Aguajito Road, Monterey Visit our website www.wacmb.org for information and reservations
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