GAY GEISER-SANDOVAL -- Educationally Speaking

As part of a grant to curb bullying -- even before we heard about

Santana High School -- Costa Mesa High School sponsored a group

discussion in which students talked about “getting connected.” The

students talked about what stressed them out, and what was good and bad

in their lives. Not surprisingly, taking so many tests caused stress.

Many students said their lives were so busy that they couldn’t fit

everything in. On the other hand, some said they had nothing to do, and

they were bored. They didn’t feel like they fit in.

They wanted high school counselors to be available to help with

problems in their lives, as well as with career and college guidance.

With the ratio as it is now, it is not surprising that students felt that

counselors didn’t really have time for them. The one person most students

said they would talk to about problems or an issue was their mom.

Students said moms were always there to listen. For those students who

don’t have a mom around, or those with moms who are too busy to sit down

and listen, there isn’t much in the way of alternatives.

I’m not sure if the students’ perspectives were all valid, but it was

a breath of fresh air to hear what students thought about life at school.

Since the most recent school shooting, we have heard what politicians and

pundits, many of whom don’t frequent school campuses, think we should do

to “fix the problems.”

I asked a student leader how the same school could have some students

say they have too many activities and others say they didn’t have any. He

agreed that was a paradox. Either kids try something and decide they like

it, and want to do more, or they never give any activity a chance,

declare that school is dumb and have a miserable time. Maybe if we could

get the school’s “cool police” to pass a new law allowing kids who join

choirs, bands, clubs, academic and athletic teams to be labeled “cool,”

the boredom problem would be solved.

For example, students from a Newport-Mesa Unified school were invited

to the Pacific Chorale’s Invitational High School Choral Festival last

week. It was totally cool when Costa Mesa High School’s Madrigal Choir

was center stage at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. They

encored two of the songs from their benefit concert to help the children

in Bosnia, so it held special meaning when they sang.

Thirteen high schools were invited from throughout Southern

California, so it was kind of like the CIF finals for choirs. In addition

to the rigorous test that took place backstage, each school sang three or

four songs, most of them without accompaniment. Most songs were in a

foreign language.

Do their peers at schools throughout Southern California label these

singing kids cool? If body size is a condition, these choirs had every

size and shape, so some might not qualify. If a certain ethnicity is

required, most wouldn’t qualify, because the rainbow spectrum of humanity

was represented. If there are wardrobe specifications to being cool, they

might not make it in their tuxedos and matching evening dresses. No one

had tongue metal or abnormal hair color. Shoes were boring black.

Whether the singers are cool or not, the mommy brigade watching in the

huge theater was in tears. Instead of their usual venue, which is a dark,

unventilated room, here they were on Orange County’s Broadway. What a

great way to make teenagers feel that they have something to offer the

community. What a way to make them feel like a special part of a much

larger teen choral family. Thanks to all of the wonderful organizations

that make the festival possible each year.

If every teenager could have that kind of experience, we wouldn’t need

metal detectors or zero-tolerance policies. We would have a safe school

through beaming student pride.

* Gay Geiser-Sandoval is a Costa Mesa resident. Her column runs

Tuesdays. She may be reached by e-mail ato7 [email protected] .