Imagine a school where students and faculty are excited to show up; where everywhere you look, creativity flows; where students compose songs on the guitar between classes; and where teachers find ways to teach history through music and English through art.
That was the school Tony Gerlicz envisioned when he founded Monte del Sol Charter School in 2000—a place where public education didn’t have to mean rigid hierarchy, tight scheduling or fewer art and music classes.
“There were always kids hanging out in the courtyard, engrossed in conversation or playing basketball,” Lisa Van Sickle, the parent of one graduate and two students at Monte del Sol, says. “They never cared what color anybody’s hair is, and the kids were not walking around in a straight line, in uniform.”
Van Sickle says she’s “thrilled” with the education her oldest son got at Monte del Sol. The school’s approach, which centers on involving students in every aspect of their own education, transformed him from a kid who “fought school as hard as he could,” she says, into one who forged deep connections with teachers and administrators. Even when disciplinary problems arose, Van Sickle says, faculty, students and administrators talked it out together.
“The kids got to see incredible attempts to find common ground—which I think prepares them far better than their ability to do quadratic equations,” Van Sickle says.
But now, as Monte del Sol enters its 10th year later this month, it has become a school in crisis—an identity crisis, to be specific.
Gerlicz’ departure in 2008 coincided with the school’s mounting budget shortfalls and ongoing failure to meet test score standards. In her first year at the school, Gerlicz’ replacement, Angela Ritchie, has tried to address these problems—but her attempt to do so has proven divisive.
While some teachers laud the new energy she brings to the school and appreciate her efforts to balance the budget and beef up traditional academics, others say her top-down management style and dedication to improving test scores jeopardize the school’s original mission.
Faculty, staff and students have divided into sometimes bitterly opposed factions, with Gerlicz and Ritchie representing symbols in the larger and mounting conflict in public education.
That conflict pits the ideals of small schools, alternative learning methods and community buy-in against the inflexible benchmarks of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, and its concomitant testing requirements.
Charter schools particularly highlight this division.
“Charter schools [exist] to provide unique programs, different ways of assessing children,” Lisa Grover, the CEO of the New Mexico Coalition for Charter Schools, says. “There is an inherent tension between charter schools and the law, [which is] trying to make them very like public schools. A strength of any school, but especially a charter school, is its ability to manage change while still remaining true to the school’s mission.”
Whether Monte del Sol can do so remains uncertain—as does Ritchie’s future following a year of the types of conflict that perhaps no one would have envisioned when the school first sprang into being.
That was the school Tony Gerlicz envisioned when he founded Monte del Sol Charter School in 2000—a place where public education didn’t have to mean rigid hierarchy, tight scheduling or fewer art and music classes.
“There were always kids hanging out in the courtyard, engrossed in conversation or playing basketball,” Lisa Van Sickle, the parent of one graduate and two students at Monte del Sol, says. “They never cared what color anybody’s hair is, and the kids were not walking around in a straight line, in uniform.”
Van Sickle says she’s “thrilled” with the education her oldest son got at Monte del Sol. The school’s approach, which centers on involving students in every aspect of their own education, transformed him from a kid who “fought school as hard as he could,” she says, into one who forged deep connections with teachers and administrators. Even when disciplinary problems arose, Van Sickle says, faculty, students and administrators talked it out together.
“The kids got to see incredible attempts to find common ground—which I think prepares them far better than their ability to do quadratic equations,” Van Sickle says.
But now, as Monte del Sol enters its 10th year later this month, it has become a school in crisis—an identity crisis, to be specific.
Gerlicz’ departure in 2008 coincided with the school’s mounting budget shortfalls and ongoing failure to meet test score standards. In her first year at the school, Gerlicz’ replacement, Angela Ritchie, has tried to address these problems—but her attempt to do so has proven divisive.
While some teachers laud the new energy she brings to the school and appreciate her efforts to balance the budget and beef up traditional academics, others say her top-down management style and dedication to improving test scores jeopardize the school’s original mission.
Faculty, staff and students have divided into sometimes bitterly opposed factions, with Gerlicz and Ritchie representing symbols in the larger and mounting conflict in public education.
That conflict pits the ideals of small schools, alternative learning methods and community buy-in against the inflexible benchmarks of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, and its concomitant testing requirements.
Charter schools particularly highlight this division.
“Charter schools [exist] to provide unique programs, different ways of assessing children,” Lisa Grover, the CEO of the New Mexico Coalition for Charter Schools, says. “There is an inherent tension between charter schools and the law, [which is] trying to make them very like public schools. A strength of any school, but especially a charter school, is its ability to manage change while still remaining true to the school’s mission.”
Whether Monte del Sol can do so remains uncertain—as does Ritchie’s future following a year of the types of conflict that perhaps no one would have envisioned when the school first sprang into being.
In spite of the desperately positive spin the writer attempts to impart to the MDS experience, the fact is, it is little more than a day care drop-in center for teens. I noticed that "Head Learner" Gerlicz had his own child attend SF Prep. As would any parent, he wanted to see she received a quality education - and he knew MDS was never going to provide that. That's pretty telling all by itself, isn't it? It's typical of the fuzzy-headed thought process that all too many Santa Feans proudly embrace to ignore testing in education, and instead rely on "this really beautiful way of learning". Unfortunately, not much is actually learned, but we all feel real good about the fact we didn't learn anything. Of course, MDS students are enthusiatic about their "school", and why not? It requires essentially nothing of them. Feel like learning? Go ahead. Not so motivated? Go strum your guitar instead. When every class is recess, student approval is unsurprisingly sky-high! I wonder if they will be so enthusiastic about their MDS "education" when it's time to compete against actual students in college, or the real world workplace? Maybe a little more reading, and a little less interpretive dance would have been a good idea, huh? Oh well, too late now. But at least we didn't conform! Anyway, we can always live at St. E's, right?
It's good that we have Santa Fe Prep to educate The Realist's young Biffs and Muffys and put them on the inside track to Princeton. It's even better that we have Monte del Sol, ATC, Desert Academy, St. Mike's, the Waldorf High School, Tierra Encantada, Santa Fe High, Capitol, and all the other schools in town for the rest of our kids. MdS and ATC have long had high graduation rates and high numbers of kids going on to college- even, Realist, to name-brand colleges where they have done quite well. I don't know where your negativity comes from, but it can't be from interacting with the majority of kids from Monte del Sol.
I just wanted to clear up that Tony Gerlicz did not send his daughter to MDS because she did not want to go to school where he was principal. As a teacher, I've often seen students not wanting to attend where their parent is a principal. Several teachers had their children at MDS, but everyone had to join the lottery (including Tony's daughter if she had wanted to go). At my time there I saw several teachers in tears after their son or daughter did not make it into the lottery.
Just the facts. i'm not jumping in this argument.
Sorry, I didn't have a Muffy or a Biff to educate at SF Prep - Tony Gerlicz did. Does that make him a bad guy, in and of itself? If it matters, my kids attended MDS for one year, but I yanked them out and sent them to public school, as I found MDS to be a complete waste of time. The "negativity" in my initial comment comes from the article itself, which although overtly sympathetic to MDS, also clearly points out that it is failing the kids. It's interesting that you seem to feel I must never have interacted with any MDS kids. Actually, I've interacted with quite a few, aside from my own. By and large, there's nothing wrong with them, but they're being let down by the school, which is failing to educate them. I never suggested the kids were the problem, as they are not in charge of their own education. Tell any kid he has a choice between doing algebra or playing hacky sack, and which will he choose? That doesn't make him a bad kid, but he WILL suffer for it down the road. That's why it's up to educators provide an atmosphere of education, rather than playtime. At MDS, it's hard to tell who the adults are, and this is now painfully obvious in light of these abominable test scores. And rather than be outraged at the pathetic job this school is doing for our local youth, you're more offending by "negativity". If these test scores aren't cause for "negativity", what is?
In response to The Realist:
As a graduate of MDS, class of 2008, and a Junior attending The University of New Mexico, I can honestly say that I was completely prepared for all of my higher education courses at UNM. And seemingly much more prepared than the majority of college students in those courses. I believe this can be attributed to the years I spent at MDS (7th-12th grade). I can attest to the fact that the teaching methods compared to that of other schools is unique, however I can also attest that the teachers never once failed to take an interest in the students' learning. With many teachers recieving awards and nominations (Lisa Otero, Teri Wyrick) and others with credentials beyond that of most high school teachers, it cannot be said that "not much is actually learned". As for test scores, all of Santa Fe has low scores. As for graduation requirements, compare MDS to other public high schools and find out that Monte requires more from their students.
Tony Gerlicz is a brilliant man, who created an even more brilliant school, and surrounded it with charismatic, caring and compelling faculty. It is a shame that the school has come to be on a different path than he intended. However, I understand that budgetting is very difficult, and see no evidence to lead me to believe that Ritchie is not trying to make the most out of the money that the school is entitled to. I am still "enthusiastic" about my high school education, and have the higher ground in the "competition with other students in college". Do not make the mistake of false accusations, when a true testimony of someone who has gone through the experience has not been heard.
I hope MDS is able to thrive in the future, and provide the same educational experience it gave to me and my brother.