Calaveras High kids bring folks to school

Parents of Calaveras High School students walked a mile in their students’ shoes during the school’s first annual Bring Your Parent to School Day on Friday.

Parents could attend the first part of each class period with their students, then go to workshops on topics including college preparation, career planning and drug use prevention. The event started as a way to familiarize parents with their students’ experiences, but ended up creating memories too.

“We had parents say, ‘It brought tears to my eyes that I could sit next to my kid before they’re gone,’” said Juline Hobbs, president of the Calaveras High School Parents Club.    

Hobbs said 54 parents came to the event, which was a pleasant surprise for her and the other event organizers.    

Rather than cringing at the thought of their parents following them to class, the students seemed to enjoy their company.    

“I personally thought it was a good experience,” said Jacob Fisher, Hobbs’ son and a junior at Calaveras High. “I liked having my parent there so she could see what we were doing in class and hang out with us.”    

Until the Calaveras High School Parents Club formed last year, parent involvement at the school was compartmentalized by sport or extracurricular activity.    

“At the high school, when students begin to diversify their activities, we have a lot of parents involved, but they tend to be focused on the activities,” said Calaveras High School Principal Ric Stitt.  “The parent club that got started at the high school last year is for general support of the school, and in particular to fill in the gap in supporting academic programs.”    

Stitt attributes the rise in parent involvement to a strong core group of parents, many of whom have multiple kids at the high school.    

“I really feel like if you are involved in their kids’ lives, they will succeed,” said Hobbs, who has two other students at Calaveras High. “We envisioned this event to bridge the gap between the parents and the school and let the parents see what their student is doing, what they’re learning, how the classrooms are, meet their friends.”    

According to Hobbs, Bring Your Parent to School Day helped open channels of communication between students, parents and the administration. It also demystified the high school experience for parents who’ve been out of high school for years or decades.    

“You feel like it’s this unknown world that your child goes to,” said Ronda Rajewski, parent of a Calaveras High freshman and member of the parents club. “It was nice to see the campus and how the class was taught.”    

Rajewski said her son initially wasn’t thrilled that she’d be joining him for the day. “He said, ‘You’re coming? Seriously?’ But I went, and he survived. I think it was good for other kids to see parents there and see that it’s OK.”    

In fact, the parents’ presence provided the students with some entertainment.    

“We had parents out there running in gym class,” said Hobbs. “It was so fun. When the bell first rang for them to go to the next class, you could see the parents walking around aimlessly, looking for room numbers. The kids were having a blast.”    

Hobbs adds that students from photography classes even took pictures of the parents as they listened to lectures and did worksheets.   

Thanks to the event’s success, Calaveras High and the parents club plan to host another Bring Your Parent to School Day next year.    

In the meantime, the parents club maintains a “wish list” for items that teachers need in the classroom but can’t pay for under the district’s current budget constraints. Items on the wish list include basic supplies such as dry eraser markers and glue sticks, but also more interesting materials like a lizard skeleton for science classes.    

Community members interested in the Calaveras High School Parents Club can visit its website at www.chs-parents.com.