Joseph Carwise Middle School (shop, safety, designer)

[Sumermarie]

I've searched online and read some reviews but I'd thought I'd ask here if anyone has an opinion regarding this middle school?

Good, bad etc.. It's a consideration for us and after touring it appears to be good but you know what they say.

So any good or bad experiences to share would be great.

Thanks!

[Aconite]

Originally Posted by Sumermarie

I've searched online and read some reviews but I'd thought I'd ask here if anyone has an opinion regarding this middle school?

Good, bad etc.. It's a consideration for us and after touring it appears to be good but you know what they say.

So any good or bad experiences to share would be great.

Thanks!

If your child is a Hollister-and-Abercrombie wearing child of the upper middle class, a decent student with no discernible reason to stand out for either good or ill, he or she should do reasonably well. If your child is different-- a Special Ed kid, given to wearing clothing outside the norm, or socially awkward....be prepared for some social discomfort, possibly even outright bullying. And be prepared for the school administration to do little to nothing about it.

Academically...it's okay, for the area. As I said elsewhere, no one moves to Pinellas County looking for good schools (PHUHS's high opinion of itself notwithstanding).

[Sumermarie]

^Well, she doesn't wear designer clothes, we usually shop at Target, it's more than sufficient. She's not socially awkward and gets good grades but struggles a little on reading comprehension sometimes.

I suppose I'll just have to wait and see. lol

[Aconite]

Mental health check, charges ahead for boy accused in officer stabbing

[Sumermarie]

^Yeah, I saw that, unfortunately this does not make me feel good about the school.

[Maggi07]

When I was in middle school, a kid blew up a toilet in the bathroom with a pipe bomb. He had a mental eval and was found to be "fine". He came back to school and a couple weeks later put cyanide on another kid's cookie. That kid was rushed via ambulance to the hospital and was OK, and the one who did it was expelled.

This was not the same school being discussed here, but it was a well performing, highly thought of, suburban school. It does seem that the level and scope of the violence has escalated in recent years, but unfortunately, things like this have happened for a long time. I would not base my judgment of Carwise solely on this incident, although I would look into the school's safety record.

[Aconite]

Originally Posted by Maggi07

When I was in middle school, a kid blew up a toilet in the bathroom with a pipe bomb. He had a mental eval and was found to be "fine". He came back to school and a couple weeks later put cyanide on another kid's cookie. That kid was rushed via ambulance to the hospital and was OK, and the one who did it was expelled.

This was not the same school being discussed here, but it was a well performing, highly thought of, suburban school. It does seem that the level and scope of the violence has escalated in recent years, but unfortunately, things like this have happened for a long time. I would not base my judgment of Carwise solely on this incident, although I would look into the school's safety record.

The schools' safety records can be misleading. Principals have discretion over how to categorize incidents. For example, one local middle school has a high on-campus arrest record, but that has partly to do with the fact that the principal and vice principal cut no deals, and will have the SRO arrest kids for any sort of violation-- even acting out in the lunchroom is an arrestable offense (parole violation) if the kid has a previous record as a runaway, or for fighting. Other principals will sweep things under the rug if the kid at fault is otherwise "a good kid" or "from a good family".

Example: my niece got in trouble a few years ago for having a knife in her backpack. (My niece, needless to say, is an idiot.) Because she was "a good kid" (i.e., she's a cheerleader and mom volunteers), she got a two day suspension for inappropriate behavior. Pinellas County guidelines call for ten days' suspension, involvement of the SRO, and recommendation for expulsion on a weapons charge, but "inappropriate behavior" is up to the principal's discretion and doesn't have the same shock value in the records.

Long story short-- do your homework, and ask questions.