I have come to the conclusion that I don't believe the rampant rumors about excessive fights at RHS

Duh, how could I forget - the breeding ground for spreading rumors is the MALL!

The piece I posted for Anonymous on March 11th and the information I am posting below, confirms for me that Richwoods High School is not under siege by wild girls pulling out each others hair. When I inquired directly with an adult who would know, this is what I was told:

"The rumors are really swelling. A little over a week ago, there was an actual fight with punch throwing between some boys. I think it was the day that Shaun Grant got there. Anyway, these other fights are just between girls. They're not physical, only verbal. Our Asst Principal likened it to the movie "mean girls".

When the girls were pressed for the premise of the fights, none of them even knew! Mr. Poehls had the girls all together in a room with our campus police chief, among other authorities there in the school, as well as parents. It was handled very well.

Another problem we've had is that kids within the school are spreading rumors of these fights with a severely embellished twist. Technology today can really cause a lot of grief! Rumors have the ability to spread twice as fast!"

Talk about how fast rumors spread - imagine how many times the young lady in the Mall told her story. I was minding my own business when she came up and shared it with me. I bet she had a good time retelling it to every single teenage girl that walked into the most popular, teenage girly store in the Mall.

Anonymous weighs in on the "fights" at RHS

There was ONE fight at Richwoods the day mentioned. Some how it was inflated to "4 or 5 fights". Who exactly is Mrs. Crew's reliable source? Were they there?

It seems to me the ONLY reports of multiple fights at Richwhoods come from her, and she is spreading it far and wide. Mrs. Crew's reports don't seem malicious, just very very concerned, but notice, she has no details on any of the fights but the one that actually occurred. Did her student she has at Richwoods see the fights; could he/she provide any details?

People were talking about there was a "fight" the other day, they were swearing up and down that it had happened. I know the girl involved and talked to her, I found out it was a disagreement that escalated into shouting and she and her friend stormed off from each other in a huff.

By the time it hit the rumor mill, people were saying it was a full blown chick fight and the school let it happen. There was no fight, there were no threats, just an argument. There is a big differece between fighting and two teenaged girls having a tantrum at each other before storming off not speaking for the rest of the day.

Before posting something about fights at Richwoods, as if it actually happened, ask yourself how many people are exaggerating or inventing incidents because it's what they expect, and, second, why some people are so deeply invested in ensuring that unsubstantiated reports of violence are spread as far and wide as possible.

Thank you.

No - thank You Anonymous...

Richwoods' Principal addresses the rumors surrounding dropping the IB Program

I thought that Steve Ptacek's comments regarding this issue were so important, I pulled his post out of comments to post here. Steve Ptacek said...

"Sharon, I do read the blogs from time to time.

You have been hearing exaggerations and twists regarding my concerns with our IB program. Immediately upon entering RHS I started analyzing all available data to get a picture of the state of the school including our trends. I have questioned our decreasing numbers in both IB and AP. I have also questioned our performance.

I have questioned how we have been running our programs, not the programs themselves. This hasn't set well with some teachers and families associated with the programs. Many enjoyed the small "school within a school" condition that had been created.

People were shocked that I first questioned our high end classes. But I believe that you grow an excellent school by first ensuring that the high end is both expanding and performing. It is challenging to increase enrollment and performance in a top end program, but that is what truly great teachers do.

(Note: Our school IB coordinator has been doing a wonderful job, but her ability to expand the program has been limited. She might be the hardest working person in the district).

If we are going to create something special with the IB program, we need to commit to vertically aligning the program into the middle schools (ALL of them). Not only do we need to use the program to challenge our "traditional" top performing students, we also need to find, inspire, and motivate our untapped talent.

This year we have added the IB certificate option with the goal of increasing our junior and senior enrollment. For the last couple of years only about 20 students have taken the IB tests. Furthermore, just over half of those performed well enough to receive the diploma. With our current economic situation, I have stated that those numbers do not justify the program. But my solution is to commit to increasing the numbers. I know the talent is out there. From day one I had a problem walking down the hall and seeing 3 lower level classes with 26-29 students and several IB classes with less then 10.

I have also stated that not all of our high-end students have the same academic needs. For some, the IB program is perfect. For others, AP is a better option. Remember Sharon, prior to entering administration my background was a nuclear power plant operator and an AP Physics teacher. I firmly believe that top science/math students need to take AP Calculus along with at least one other AP science course. That is what the students take at New Trier, Barrington, Adlai Stevenson, and Naperville. Since we have only offered the diploma option, many of our students have had to decide between AP and IB. Their schedules have been full. Hopefully with the certificate option we can allow for both.

Our total number of students either testing for the IB diploma or taking AP exams over the last decade has declined. In contrast, statewide involvement has risen dramatically. (My data is mainly regarding the massive increase in state AP testing since there are only 3 districts in the state with an IB program). Low-income and minority testing has greatly increased throughout the state.

RHS once had amazing AP numbers. One of my goals is to return our school to those levels. For the past 10 years we have averaged 58 students taking an AP exam. This last year 94 students took at least one AP exam. Our overall pass rate was above 70% so I am delighted with what the staff was able to accomplish.

Also, Dr. Lathan is a huge IB supporter. Once the district is able, I am confident that the resources and support will finally be provided to create a truly successful program available for all of our students.

If anyone has any questions about the direction that I wish to take RHS.... PLEASE stop by, call, email, or send a pigeon. I gladly welcome the conversation. I have had several parents come to my office questioning me about the rumors that I want to drop the IB program. Once they leave, they have understood the truth instead of the rumors. "


Steve Ptacek
693-4414