The Up and Comer
Back in '02, when I was looking for a middle school for my daughter, I was encouraged by other parents to look at The Up and Comer, a middle school with a checkered past. This school went from being a beacon of excellent public education to being a tattered and battered wreck with low test scores.
The downturn came in the '80s, according to the teacher who led my tour in 2002. This teacher, Mr. A., is a character well known to anybody who's ever set foot in this school, as he has a big personality, a big voice and has been there for 30 years, through thick and thin. When Mr. A. says something in his forceful manner, you generally don't forget it.
He told us about the famous Hollywood star who went there in the 1930s, and who, many years and three husbands later, reunited with her middle school sweetheart and made him her fourth husband. He told us about the former student, now a Harvard law professor, who represented Al Gore before the Supreme Court during the disputed election of 2000. He showed us the beautiful mural this artistically gifted Harvard law professor painted in the library when he was a mere 13 years old.
The Up and Comer has a proud and colorful history alright, but, sadly, things fell apart. I don't know exactly what caused the downfall of this once fabulous school, but Mr. A blamed it on a succession of bad principals, negligent superintendents and the decline of public education in California in general.
I was torn, back in '02, as to whether to send my child to a school then just starting to turn around. It was in need of major repairs. The kids seemed pretty darned tough. On the other hand, the building itself was once glorious and could be again. There was a sense of new and exciting things about to happen. I eventually decided against applying to The Up and Comer, but it was a tough call.
So other parents, hardy souls, some of whom I know from my public school travels, took on the Herculean project of taking back their neighborhood school. They lobbied the district for money to paint it inside and out, and to replace all the lockers.
Another resourceful group famously cajoled the district to start serving healthy food, replacing soda and chips with fruit juice, bottled water and healthy snacks. The cafeteria became that rarity in our district: a cafeteria where food is actually cooked. No longer would soggy, tasteless food be shipped from a centralized location downtown.
The test scores slowly inched up over the years. The school was getting back on track.
Five years have now gone by since the transformation began, and I've watched in the interim as the school developed a good reputation. I've even heard some people say it's the best middle school in the district. I know it's not by a long shot, but it just goes to show how word of mouth works. The buzz is turning into hype.
So Alex and I put on our touring shoes and headed out to look at this cheeky Up and Comer. Maybe it would be good enough to lure us away from His Sister's Old School. The fact that it's smaller by 400 students is a big plus.
The tour, once again, was led by the indestructible Mr. A., the Up and Comer's biggest cheerleader. Everything that appealed to me about the school the first time around still appealed to me: the beautiful library, the awesome Art Deco auditorium, the views of the ocean, the lovely neighborhood. But now The Up and Comer also has comforting cooking smells wafting from the cafeteria, well-behaved students, clean walls and new lockers, and pretty darned good test scores. I like this school and will seriously consider sending Alex there.
Alex's most vivid impression of the tour was not of the school itself, but of Mr. A.
Alex: "He seemed really strict, like he would always be keeping his eye on you. And if you ever got out of his sight you'd still hear his big booming voice going down the hallway."
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