Opinion Editor
It is not uncommon to hear LGHS students commiserating in the quad about how much they’d “rather be anywhere but here” or how much they “HATE this school.” Although school can definitely be a drag, Los Gatos High is an excellent place to receive an education in comparison to almost every other public high school in the area, if not the state. It’s sad to see the privileged students here complain about LGHS, because there are kids who would kill to have the quality of education and teaching staff that we are lucky enough to have.
By law, every minor is required to attend school. Yes, the education system is flawed and stress-inducing. So, since we must go to school, we should appreciate the fact that the school we are being forced to attend happens to be an excellent place to get an education in preparation for college and future careers. It’s one thing to complain about the concept of school in general and the way the education system is organized; that’s a valid concern. However, specifically complaining about having to attend LGHS is inconsiderate and, frankly, ignorant.
A few common complaints about Los Gatos High are that it’s not very diverse relative to other schools and that students here are “fake.” The lack of diversity is disheartening, but it does not deeply affect the quality of education students receive. It’s not the school’s job to dictate your friend groups; if you desire to immerse yourself in other races and cultures, you absolutely have the opportunity to do so outside of school. Similarly, who you choose to spend your time with is up to you, so if you’re feeling annoyed about an abundance of “fake” people at LGHS, you have the freedom and opportunity to surround yourself with people whom you deem “real.”
One downside that I admit comes with attendance at LGHS is extreme pressure to succeed academically. This is an issue that is common in high-achieving schools, specifically those in the Silicon Valley. However, it’s something that will almost inevitably accompany an environment that aims to breed success. So, it’s a trade-off: you can wish to go to a less fortunate school with a generally low success rate (barring occasional exceptions) in turn for escaping the majority of the academic pressure found in schools such as LGHS; or, you could embrace attending a school with a sufficient amount of money, many opportunities, an excellent teaching staff, and an overall very high success rate, even though you are subject to omnipresent, yet largely escapable academic pressure. Whether or not you wish to attend a different school is up to you, but we don’t have much of a choice, so the latter option is your best bet.
We here at LGHS have privileges that other students at less fortunate and less successful schools will never have. While LG has its flaws, we need to be more appreciative of the academic and athletic excellence of our school and take less for granted. Let me make something clear: we didn’t earn it. We don’t deserve to go to a successful school any more than a homeless teenager in Los Angeles. It just so happens that our parents are able to live in Los Gatos and send their children to a great public school. We didn’t work for this, so we must acknowledge that we have every reason to be grateful for the advantageous position we ended up in.
Categories: Opinion