6 Comments so far

1. Amy Gutierrrez on May 1, 2008 11:57 am

   Is there some reason we’re celebrating that fact that these outstanding young peformers couldn’t seem to graduate from San Marcos High School?

2. Chris Doelle on May 1, 2008 4:02 pm

   We are reporting the fact that they graduated. I am not sure how that could be construed as not worthy of celebrating. I commend them for what they have done regardless of what path they took to the accomplishment.

3. Nonya on May 15, 2008 6:10 pm

   Amy Gutierrez…are you retarded? Most of the kids at Pathfinders are graduating year or more early than their class if they were at San Marcos High School!! Check your facts so you don’t show all of us just how simple you are. Did you graduate?

4. Nonya on May 19, 2008 12:02 pm

   Furthermore, Amy…these kids are eligible to walk with the graduating class at SMHS, but they also have a Pathfinders only graduation. They ARE graduating from SMHS…it’s still San Marcos CISD, just different program, different campus. Maybe you should apply?

5. Amy Gutierrez on May 21, 2008 6:00 am

   Thoughts and opinions like these are why we have absolutely no standards in San Marcos schools today. Anyone bother to find out why almost 1/3 of the kids we have “graduating” from high school in San Marcos seem to do so through an alternative program and not through the high school itself?

   Technically yes, they’re graduating from SMHS because they get a diploma. If graduating from the high school isn’t all that important, then why don’t we send all the SMHS students through Pathfinder or Pride? Anyone bother to check the backgrounds on these kids and really find out what’s going on?

   If these programs are for the allstars, then why don’t Wimberley and Dripping Springs have alternative programs? I can tell you why. They’re not willing to settle for mediocrity.

   As an employer, you’d see someone graduating from Pride or Pathfinder as the same because they have the SMHS diploma. They’re not the same….they couldn’t cut it in the approved program, so they have to find another way to get their “diploma.” They can’t cut the mustard.

   Wake up, you. What’s happening is you have a bunch of 16 year olds going down there, sitting for 6 weeks, and graduating without doing the work. Then, you have a “graduated” 16 year old out there on the streets with no ability to get a job or support themselves, and many of these folks don’t have the mental maturity to do anything productive with themselves and they’re just adding to the crime rate and police workload around this town.

   Ask a police officer, keep an open mind, and investigate yourself. You may think these 2 programs are the best thing since sliced bread, but I can tell you first hand that they’re just a smokescreen that continues to allow SMCISD to cover the fact that the dropout rate is almost 33% at the high school level in this town.

   I should know. My daughter graduated from Pathfinder so that she could legally run away at 17. Go find out for yourself and see how many other kids are doing it.

6. Nonya on May 29, 2008 11:58 am

   Maybe your daughter couldn’t cut the mustard, but that does not apply to all the children at Pathfinders. Pride is different; it is a last ditch effort to try and graduate with your class. If a child doesn’t care about the social aspect of high school or doesn’t feel it necessary to take a lot of meaningless electives, including sports, Pathfinders is a good program. Furthermore, Pride is its own high school; Pathfinders is not. I’m sure you know how important that is when it comes time to apply to college. An accredited school vs. non-accredited makes a huge difference. Why must you generalize? You shouldn’t assume that every kid in Pathfinders (or Pride, for that matter) is like your daughter. One of the children in that picture is the daughter of a well respected doctor in this town, and a wonderful parent. I can guarantee she is not at Pathfinders because she couldn’t cut the mustard. She is there to graduate early because she is that much ahead of her class and is ready for college level work, which is also offered at Pathfinders, free of charge. This school district does not have magnet programs like are all over this country, they seem to want to keep all children on the same level. I dealt with that problem when my daughter started kindergarten and was not allowed to participate in the AR program because the other children in her class could not read. I was told that they try to keep all children on the same level. Screw that. I don’t want my child held back because another parent didn’t care to teach their child anything before starting school. I feel the same way about Pathfinders. If you are ahead that much, it is a good program to take advantage of with all the academic benefits with none of the fluff.