Back-to-back honors attest “Chargers are the Best”

By Barbara Luis

Staff Writer

Leland High School officials are bursting with pride over recent official recognition from the State Department of Education. Students and staff were honored earlier this month with the coveted designation of California Distinguished School, plus a second award for unique courses in career and technology.

District Director of Secondary Education Bonnie Piche points out that only 5 percent of all schools in the state receive “distinguished school” recognition. Leland officials received word of the award designation late last year, but an official ceremony was held at the Santa Clara County Office of Education just this month.

“Leland students” she says, “have the highest test scores in the San Jose Unified School District.” She also proudly points out that the Leland campus is also known as a “New American High School.” To keep that nationally recognized designation, students must regularly address a list of 12 strategies for continued improvement, including partnership, community involvement and collaboration with business. Leland High is one of only four campuses in the country to receive the honor.

John Muir High School also received an award, the only other secondary campus in the district to do so, according to Piche. She adds, “I think Santa Clara County has worked very hard to recognize these schools.”

Another equally exciting and unique award has to do with Leland High's technical education program in animation and filmmaking. Assistant Principal Bob Sutherland says the program is “fairly new.”

Students can take part in a certification program in correlation with Cisco Systems to eventually test out and be certified as a network administrator in the field.

Sutherland further explains, “There are beginning and advanced courses in film studies which could be followed by the school's “capstone course” in a business internship program, which allows Leland High students to work with the people whose jobs they hope to fill someday.”

“It jumpstarts them and gets them started in a career in an area where jobs are still available,” he says.

Leland tech students took a tour of the Pixar studios north of San Francisco last year, where cutting-edge film technology is constantly changing the way the world sees movies.

Other tech program courses on campus include commercial web publishing, computer applications, electronic music and video and multi-media.

Freshman and sophomore students have the edge with Mac and PC platform classes taken on a system of wireless laptops. Freshmen take Mac classes and sophomores take PC education. Then, as upperclassmen, the students will be well versed in both applications which makes taking the “tech ed” classes much easier.

Sutherland gives the Leland High School teaching staff much of the credit for the award. Iliad Rodriguez teaches animation, Mark Schwab handles filmmaking, Cliff Mitchell teaches half time as part of the Cisco Networking Academy, Hal Peterson handles multi-media and Peg Stewart Baker oversees the Specialized Secondary Program.