EDITOR’S NOTE: When TSD#9 released the statement about changes to the location for Wilson River High School, moving from Wilson School to the Tillamook High School campus, the response was immediate. Here’s a letter from the Pioneer’s contributor and THS alum Neal Lemery. The comments and support on social media have been amazing. The success stories and the overwhelming support for the need of this program to remain intact, in it’s present location were amazing. We would encourage the community to send emails and letters to TSD#9 about this programming change. See below for link to TSD#9 statement.
School Board District Nine
2510 First St
Tillamook OR 97141
Re: Wilson School
I am writing in support of the continued full funding of Wilson River High School and preserving its current location.
Is this change supported by scientific research? Are the staff, students, and parents supportive of this? Is this move in the best interests of the students and the community?
A friend of mine who teaches at Wilson School has shared these comments:
“75 teenagers with big attitudes and even bigger hearts–both results of knowing the real world far too young. Every single student has a story you wouldn’t believe if I told you– which I’m not allowed to do, and which is why it seems nobody understands why I love this place so much. But, you would never treat the “misfits” the same if you knew what I know.
“Here, we teach math by building chairs from scrap wood. We garden and raise chickens, ducks, and turkeys. We cry over how beautiful our friend’s poetry is read out loud. We learn manners and how to count change by taking kids to a restaurant for lunch. We go to the beach for surfing lessons. We practice yoga and learn that self-care is thinking about what your future self will need even if present you wants something different. I never taught so deeply as when I was at Wilson, and I also never learned more from my students. I come home every day with a story that would make you laugh, gag, roll your eyes, or all three.
“There are also plenty of ugly things that happen here. I complain because I never worked so hard for such few results–but I’d never let anybody from outside these walls pass judgment, because my students’ accomplishments mean far more when they always started with less. The good must outweigh the bad since we all promised to stay as long as we could. This year we say goodbye to Wilson because of budget cuts, and it sure seems like a familiar pattern that the people who need the most help in life are the ones who are given less.
Alternative education should be the standard model, and it should be the last thing to be defunded: Meet kids where they are. Every student, whatever it takes.
“Next year, Tillamook High School will be so lucky to welcome our students, though we may still be in mourning and it may be a long transition that never ends up being perfect.
“I hope they see how funny they are, how they’d kill for you if they care for you, how their perspective on life makes them smart in a way that most people don’t pay attention to, how their grit is something they earned.
“I will never regret my time here, I only wish I had more.”
I’ve worked as a lawyer and judge in this community for many years and have also been involved as a guest in teaching activities at Wilson. I worked as a youth accountability judge with Wilson students, served as a foster parent, and handled all of this county’s truancy caseload in the courts when I was Justice of the Peace. The presence of an alternative high school, caring staff and innovating teaching was and is an enormous asset, literally changing the lives of many students.
Many of those success stories are not widely shared, but I continue to see the impact of Wilson School’s work reverberate throughout this community. That program is one of the most impactful of School District Nine’s work.
I am not sure of the “benefit” of moving the program to the high school. Most of the Wilson students left their “regular” high school because of a variety of significant situations and social atmosphere, and now this decision asks them to return to what was an uncomfortable and unsuccessful place. This is not an economic question; it is a question of supporting and educating kids in need of deep investment of the community in their wellbeing and ability to become functioning and successful adults. For some kids, it can be a question of life or death.
An alternative high school is necessary for a variety of reasons. Often staff are essentially surrogate parents and advocates for kids who haven’t received much support and encouragement in their lives. Kids being physically away from the traditional high school and having their own special place is enormously impactful and essential.
I’ve had the privilege of serving on the Neah-Kah-Nie school board for nine years, including time when my foster son was a student at that high school. My wife is a retired THS teacher. My courtroom was well-populated with kids needing attention and guidance.
Your work on the school board is challenging and often success seems elusive.
Providing quality education in these times is demanding and I respect your work. The needs are great and, as always, there are limits to resources. Wilson’s program seems to be working and thus I wonder why this change is appropriate.
Many of these students “don’t fit” in a traditional high school setting and struggle to maintain a path to graduation as well as learning essential social and learning skills. If they are placed at the “regular” high school, it seems to me that there is a corresponding risk to not be successful.
Respectfully,
Neal C. Lemery, J. D., B.S.
THS Class of 1971
