Community Commentary -- Nathan Goodrich

On Oct. 27, a community was viciously attacked without justification

(Community Commentary, “Close Estancia High and open a super school”). It

was suggested that Estancia High School be sold to a private school so

the proceeds could go toward transforming Costa Mesa High into a “super

school.”

This suggestion was only one man’s opinion, and everyone is entitled

to their own opinion. Then why is it that we, the community of Estancia,

are so threatened by such a suggestion? Well, the reason is simple. Our

school was accused of being a “dirty little secret” and inferior. This is

not true at all. Has the person that made this horrific accusation ever

been to Estancia? Probably not.

It seems to me that the letter was not very clear on what the point

was. Most of the supporting evidence was not very supportive at all.

School is about educating and preparing students for the trials of the

real world. One thing that makes Estancia so special is how it is a

melting pot of all ethnicities. It makes every student respectful of each

other no matter how they look.

Estancia has always been “different.” What makes it stand out so much?

Perhaps it is all of the friendly staff. Or maybe it’s all of the

outstanding advanced placement programs and drama productions or the

emphasis on character building. Well, there are many things that

contribute to Estancia’s greatness.

We have one of the lowest crime rates in the district. Jess Gilman, a

police officer who has worked at all of the schools in the Newport-Mesa

Unified School District and is on our campus each day, said Estancia has

very few fights compared to the other schools.

Good programs and respect among the students is not all that Estancia

has going for it. Most of the students are college bound and every year

about 100 students receive scholarships. Last year’s senior class had 14

students accepted at University of California schools. Also, this year,

the editor-in-chief of Estancia’s newspaper just completed his final

interviews for Harvard.

It was also mentioned that the homes in Mesa Verde have very low

values. There is absolutely no evidence that Mesa Verde homes have

dropped in value. If Estancia became a private school, wouldn’t the value

of the homes go even lower because there would be no public schools close

by and available for students in the community?

Estancia also has a nice, clean campus and its appearance reflects how

the students inside it treat each other.

Please, Costa Mesa, visit our wonderful school and see the truth for

yourselves.

* NATHAN GOODRICH is an Estancia High junior.