John Overton High School

[jbmill3]

The school starts at 7:15am??

Is that start time uniform for Davidson county?

And, if I may ask, WHY???

[skyblueNashville]

Thank you, keysha22, for sharing your thoughts about Overton. I'm glad it was a good experience for you.

So far we have been ok with how things are going. We're interested to see what sort of things are studied in each class and how the teachers engage with the students. Our daughter is in the band, and that seems to be going very well. We shall see how it all goes. :-)

Actually, since I posted last, the start time has changed! It's now 7:05 for all metro high schools (excluding the magnets I think). The bus picks up in our neighborhood at 6:05!!! I find that insane, but I don't know what can be done about it. Middle schools start at 8:55, and elementary schools start at 8:00.

[jbmill3]

What an asinine policy. I can only ask again--why??

[skyblueNashville]

The only explanation we've received is this:

"The district believes these varied start times will assist drivers as they navigate through the heaviest parts of the morning rush hour and get students to school on time" (from www.mnps.org)

[Diane Giam]

Why? My opinion is that they use the same buses for HS, middle, Grade School. The grade schools get to go the latest.

I've seen this in many districts and also in different states. My daughter started the same time before we moved to Nashville. She has since graduated from Overton and is a Sophomore at MTSU. Her first class this semester does not start until 10:20. Last year she had 8'oclock classes both semesters.

Diane G

[elizabeth99999]

I'm a graduate of Overton high school. The reason the school starts so early is because Nashville still has mandated busing to integrate the schools. The bus drivers pick up the high school students first, then make the rounds again picking up younger students, ending with elementary students, with each level school starting at a different time.

Although there are a few good teachers at this school, I wouldn't recommend it overall. It's better than many other metro schools, but that really isn't saying much. If you care about your kid's education, move to Williamson County.

[allimoore]

My husband graduated from JOHS, My oldest son in 2004 and I currently have a Junior there. It is a good school. We currently have a very involved principal that is very approachable. I have served on the PTO board there for several years ... My oldest was in the first class to receive the lottery scholarship money and he kept it all 4 years which most students do not. He learned how to study at JOHS and had some very exceptional teachers that really taught him how to write which helped in college so much. He will be attending law school in the future. Just so you will know that there is a good education availabe in MNPS. You only hear the bad, nothing positive. I actually had my oldest in a Nashville private school until the 6th grade. He was an A and B student at that school. When he came into MNPS he was really far behind in his studies so he had a lot of catching up to do... he did fine. Really, you get out of it what you put into it.....

[Diane Giam]

Originally Posted by allimoore

My husband graduated from JOHS, My oldest son in 2004 and I currently have a Junior there. It is a good school. We currently have a very involved principal that is very approachable. I have served on the PTO board there for several years ... My oldest was in the first class to receive the lottery scholarship money and he kept it all 4 years which most students do not. He learned how to study at JOHS and had some very exceptional teachers that really taught him how to write which helped in college so much. He will be attending law school in the future. Just so you will know that there is a good education availabe in MNPS. You only hear the bad, nothing positive. I actually had my oldest in a Nashville private school until the 6th grade. He was an A and B student at that school. When he came into MNPS he was really far behind in his studies so he had a lot of catching up to do... he did fine. Really, you get out of it what you put into it.....

I agree with you. By daughter had excellent teachers at John Overton. She also had a wonderful guidance counseler. She is a sophomore at MTSU and also is receiving the Lottery Schlorship.
If you do your work, you will succeed.

Diane G