Younger Son went to high school at Seattle Prep, a private, Jesuit high school here in Seattle.
We aren't Catholic, and part of Younger Son's experience at the school was his role as the "token Agnostic." He also spoke FOR abortion during a debate at the school his freshman year and was heckled and jeered at by the students in the audience, while the teachers in the room did nothing.
That was a shock, to both of us. But overall, he enjoyed his three years at Prep, and we think he received a good education. He decided to leave a year early and start college at Seattle U, also a Jesuit school. The two schools have a program called Matteo Ricci College (MRC), which allows seniors at Seattle Prep to start college a year early, but to participate in sports and other extra-curricular activities (like prom) at Prep during this year.
Several dozen kids from Prep choose this option every year. Now, the school wants to limit involvement by these MRC students in student activities at Prep.
Younger Son suspects that the reason for the change is to make the program less attractive to Prep students, to keep them at Prep, and paying tuition, for another year.
Anyway, here's the letter he sent to the powers that be:
Hello-- This will be a quick letter giving the reasons why the current proposed changes to MRC are foolish and would only hurt the program and Seattle Prep. Let me first say that if students wish to use MRC as a replacement for senior year and continue on at another university as a Freshman they will be allowed to do this. Seattle Prep cannot decide what MRC students will do after their year at Seattle U. I believe Dean Fisher has already sent a message about this.
Secondly, the decision to let student athletes continue with their sports while denying this availability to the rest of the co-curricular activities at Prep is blatantly discriminatory. While you say that MRC students should become involved at Seattle U, there is no Mock Trial team at SU. There is no Kairos at SU. Prep's drama department would take another blow if MRC students are no longer allowed to participate. As well, the drama program at SU is designed for acting majors, on a very different level than the hobby level of Prep drama and it does not provide an acceptable substitute.
Furthermore, it was said that MRC students are taking spots away from Prep students by participating in these activities. This is also hard to believe. Most MRC students will only return for an activity that they either became very skilled at while at Prep, or are only available to seniors. In the case of skilled students, they cannot be replaced by lower level students and by being denied the ability to participate are actually hurting the program itself. In the case of senior-exclusive activities, MRC students should be allowed to participate. Denying them this not only hurts Prep because it is limiting the number of students who are available, but also generates animosity for MRC students.
If Seattle Prep is to implement these changes they will be denying to many of their students an unheard of opportunity. Matteo Ricci is the best high-school program in the state with no equal anywhere else. The courses taught at MRC are mind-opening and are far superior to other courses that are offered. To implement these changes is to reduce the number of students who will consider taking these courses. This is a gross violation of the choice that these students should be allowed to make. Choosing to do MRC is difficult enough for most students, but to then make it so that the students have effectively left Prep is to close down the program because very few students would make that choice. If Prep continues with this strong-arm tactic to make students do what Prep wills, rather than what the student wills, they will have denied a right to their students.
Lastly, let me tell you something that only a student would know, since administrators do not get involved in the lives of their students. I have yet to hear an MRC student say that they disliked any of their classes. At the most we complain about the amount of reading or however many pages long our essay is supposed to be. I genuinely love going to class. I have never heard a senior year student say that about their classes. In fact all I ever hear from them is usually how much they dislike or hate their classes.
These changes would reduce the number of students who attend MRC, and so is going against what is put forward as the intent of these changes. It would be for the best if most all of these changes are not implemented, since students will still continue on to MRC regardless. All they would do would be to exacerbate the relations between the two schools. This benefits no one, neither the MRC students who are cut off from the classmates, nor the programs at Prep who would lose some of their most gifted students. I would request that the board not implement the changes put forth, and avoid a split between the two schools.
Sincerely,
Robin Sather '08/SU '11
I'm his mother, of course, but I think that is an amazing letter for a 17-year-old to write.
