Lovejoy (Dallas, Allen, Highland Park: lease, home, high school)

[nativeDallasite]

Originally Posted by posha79

I am a teacher at Lovejoy HS and I wanted to clarify that not all of the students are wealthy in Lovejoy ISD. If you drive around Fairview, Lucas, and East Allen you can see that there are plenty of "normal" homes that house middle class people who have students that attend Lovejoy. Yes, there is certainly a great percentage of wealthy students simply because of the small size of the schools and the large number of huge estates in the district, but I will be sending my 3 children there next year and we are very much middle class. I don't think they will feel out of place in any way. The pace of daily life is slower in the Lovejoy ISD, but the pace and rigor of the curriculum is fast. Bright students get a wonderful GT education while students who need more help get just that from wonderful, experienced teachers who genuinely love what they do.

That's what I wanted to hear. My BF and I both have Mensa-level IQs so we're hoping that our children will be just as intelligent. His daughters are very very bright sparks. I'm not trying to brag or anything; highly intelligent children can be challenging to teach and they have their own special needs; bored children can be destructive in a classroom environment and if they're not challenged enough, they can get fed up with it and stop trying. That's what happened to my BF; he quit school his junior year, got his GED, and did a year and a half of college before joining the military. If he'd had a more nurturing academic environment he might not have quit school.

As for me, high school was a piece of cake. I made straight As without breaking a sweat. That's not a good thing, as I had no study skills when I went to college and it was a rough adjustment. I should have been challenged more; I did take all AP classes my senior year but I don't think they were hard enough.

[MurphyPl1]

It's not the teachers who concern me, it's the superintendent. His statement that "none of Lovejoy's students would be auto mechanics" was horrifying. That attitude is demeaning to a lot of hardworking individuals in this country, ones that perform services that we all use. And it's quite limiting to those students who aren't college material. Sure it's a great thing to choose a school district that will encourage your child to be achieve the very best they can. It's quite another to choose a district where "the very best they can" is so narrowly and narrow-mindedly defined.

[stargazer]

I am so shocked to hear someone say that on such a public platform.. that is very demeaning... there are always going to be children who can't go beyond college.... what of the mentally challenged or the children with learning disablilties? Is there a place for them there or do they pass them off to Allen?

[tulip66]

What is the current "contract" for the superintendent of Lovejoy. If enough parents can come together is there a chance you could petition the Lovejoy school board to replace him?? Something needs to be done. Does anyone know the percentage of students who are held back because they dont "grasp" the pre-AP curriculum.

Still trying to decide between Lovejoy and Allen.

[stargazer]

Today this was a topic for my husband and I. As he puts it, all isd's should be there to provide and nurture all children and what was said, seems very much discriminatory and belittling children who have special needs and disablilities. DH also pointed out that apparently the superintendent doesn't know how much mechanics can make. They can make as much as 100K in a good situation. My fil was close to that when he retired 2 years ago.

[laji]

Will children from Asia (China) do well in Lovejoy?
The statistics show Asia only accounts to ~5% of all the students.
Allen seems much more diversified.
Would Lovejoy also be more diversified in the future?

[Mardrew]

Originally Posted by laji

Will children from Asia (China) do well in Lovejoy?
The statistics show Asia only accounts to ~5% of all the students.
Allen seems much more diversified.
Would Lovejoy also be more diversified in the future?

Allen is definitely more diverse than Lovejoy. However that is just a reflection of the people who live in the districts. I do not believe there is any bias against minorities at Lovejoy. There are several Asian-American parents active at Lovejoy Elementary. For example, the Lovejoy Elementary School Chess Club was started and currently being run by an Asian American mother. The only way to increase diversity at Lovejoy is for minorities to move into the district.

There may be issues if the children do not speak English. I doubt Lovejoy due to its small size and small number of minority students can offer the types of programs that may be offered by a large district such as Plano, which has some bilingual programs in Chinese.

[tulip66]

MARDREW--

If I remember correctly your children went to Lovejoy schools. When I was looking around last week, the actual Lovejoy Elementary looks very small from the outside and older. What are the plans for remodeling? Even the wooden
playground looked worn out and used. What are the portables used for?

On the other hand Hart looked brand new and we also drove by where the new school is going. When will the boundaries be redone?

Thanks for any details.

[Mardrew]

Originally Posted by tulip66

MARDREW--

If I remember correctly your children went to Lovejoy schools. When I was looking around last week, the actual Lovejoy Elementary looks very small from the outside and older. What are the plans for remodeling? Even the wooden
playground looked worn out and used. What are the portables used for?

On the other hand Hart looked brand new and we also drove by where the new school is going. When will the boundaries be redone?

Thanks for any details.

Lovejoy was the first school in the district so it is the oldest. Not sure when Hart was built. A new Elementary (Puster) opens next year and is at the northwest edge of the district. They have not published the new school boundaries. But based on location it seems that the northern part of the district should go to Puster, the middle part to LES, and the southern portions to Hart. A fourth Elementary will probably built in a few years.

Lovejoy is a lot bigger than it looks from the street it is not very wide but goes pretty far back.

Currently the Portables are used for Gate, music (I think) and Spanish.
However next year the there will be 3 elementary schools instead of 2 so space issues should go away for a few years. With Puster, the district has room for 2000 elementary students. Next year there are projected to be less than 1500. The projections are that in 2013 there will be more than 2000.

The recent bond election included 12 million for Lovejoy Elementary. About 10 million was for construction costs including addition of 28,000 sq feet. However there is talk of converting some parts of the building for district administration offices. The renovation etc. is suppose to make the 3 elementary schools more equal. The bond included 33 million to build the new middle school so 10 million in renovation should make Lovejoy pretty nice.

The wooden playground was put in only around 3 years ago. I think they are in pretty good shape. The wood had the "worn in weathered" look from the beginning.

[laji]

Thanks. My child is only 3 yeas old. Language should not be a problem at this age. (He learns faster than I:-)
I may seriously consider Loverjoy vs. Allen.

Originally Posted by Mardrew

Allen is definitely more diverse than Lovejoy. However that is just a reflection of the people who live in the districts. I do not believe there is any bias against minorities at Lovejoy. There are several Asian-American parents active at Lovejoy Elementary. For example, the Lovejoy Elementary School Chess Club was started and currently being run by an Asian American mother. The only way to increase diversity at Lovejoy is for minorities to move into the district.

There may be issues if the children do not speak English. I doubt Lovejoy due to its small size and small number of minority students can offer the types of programs that may be offered by a large district such as Plano, which has some bilingual programs in Chinese.