Feels town of New Milford 'should take pride in the quality of its graduates'

To the Editor:

I graduated from New Milford High School in 2006, and my life has been touched by so many of the dedicated individuals who make our schools outstanding.

I was deeply disturbed by a recent letter, written by Mr. Jeffrey McBreairty, claiming New Milford public schools do not properly prepare students.

I want to share my experiences in the New Milford schools to reassure taxpayers their money is not being wasted on the students of our town.

Since Mr. McBreairty brought up the many facts that New Milford students are apparently never taught, I think it is appropriate to mention some other facts.

First, 84 percent of the New Milford High School class of 2009 chose to pursue some form of higher education, though Mr. McBreairty claims only a "small majority goes to college because they have the means."

I hardly think that 84 percent qualifies as a small majority, just as I doubt the same statistic includes only the wealthiest students of New Milford.

Next, of the NMHS students who took last year's Advanced Placement Calculus AB exam, 20 out of 34 -- an incredible 58 percent -- received a 5, the highest possible score. Only 21 percent of national test takers received a score of 5.

Years ago, I took that AP Calculus class. It was excruciatingly difficult, but I have never been better prepared for an exam. Though I have not taken a single math class since high school, I can still talk about derivatives and functions and tell you the sine, cosine or tangent of any angle.

Mr. McBreairty seems particularly concerned about the quality of the United States history instruction in our school system. I find this ironic because students are required to take a civics class before they can graduate from NMHS.

In my high school U.S. history class, I learned about political movements, legislation and historical figures. In my civics class, not only did I learn basics like the legislative process and the function of the Electoral College, I assisted with a school-wide mock election in 2004. That mock election sparked my interest in politics, and I spent a semester last year interning in Senator John Kerry's Washington D.C. press office.

Thankfully, I was lucky enough to take the Russian Studies class, where I learned Russian history and basic Russian language. I also studied Spanish through my junior year.

As Mr. McBreairty pointed out, English is, in fact, the official language of the United States.

However, if our schools failed to offer a wide variety of classes with a focus beyond our own country, not only would our students be terribly under educated and uncultured, but they would be at an extreme disadvantage both for college admissions and for future career opportunities.

Globalization is today's reality and it would be irresponsible for our schools to ignore this fact.

Mr. McBreairty voiced concern over students failing to learn the "three Rs."

Throughout all my time in our schools, my English classes challenged me. I read classic literature, analyzed sonnets and wrote essay after essay. The English curriculum provided me with the skills I need to be a competent writer.

Admittedly I am still young and have a great deal to learn in the world, but at 21 I have interned with public relations agencies, with political campaigns and within the United States Senate. I can tell you with complete confidence that I would have been able to do none of this had I not received an extraordinary education in the New Milford school system.

I am no exception to the rule in New Milford.

My friends and fellow graduates are doing far more incredible things with their lives. Sure, some of them may not be able to name all 44 presidents in order, but they all definitely know we have 50 states.

Most importantly, they are motivated, intelligent, well-rounded individuals who are attending some of the top schools in the nation, studying everything from journalism to law. The town of New Milford should take pride in the quality of its graduates.

Though Mr. McBreairty did not specifically criticize teachers, I must stand up in defense of the many fabulous educators who so often go without thanks.

If you want quality education, you have to be willing to pay for it. Each year when it comes to setting the budget, we seem to put our teachers, para-educators, custodial staff and cafeteria workers on the chopping block in the name of saving money.

Education is undoubtedly expensive. Times are tough, but what is the cost to New Milford's future if we do not continue to support the schools?

Although I definitely did not qualify as having "the means" to go to college, the New Milford schools prepared me well enough so that I earned a scholarship.

I spent three and a half years at Boston University. I graduated Summa Cum Laude this past December with a Bachelor of Science in Communication and a minor in political science. I graduated early thanks to the Advanced Placement credit I was able to earn in my New Milford High School classes.

I cannot wait to return to school next year to get a Master's degree in education.

Lauren Papp

New Milford