Hillwood Interviews

[THE SQUAD]

o.k. - let's forget sports for the moment. Hard to do on a sports forum, but I am willing to give it a try.

 

How are they doing at Hillwood on academics? After all, that is why the school was built. Are the kids who want a decent background for college getting it? Are they prepared correctly for the s.a.t. and a.c.t.? For college level work? Honors and/or a.p. classes?

 

Forget the kids who are biding time and don't care. Just looking at the serious students (they do still have some, I hope) - are the opportunities available to learn what needs to be learned?

 

If the football team goes 0-11 next year and they are barely able to field a band, that would be unfortunate. However, if a decent education can't be had, that is something you could not forgive. Not all schools are going to have a football program like Riverdale and a band like Columbia Central.

 

Putting the cynical stuff aside - what about the academics?

(contrast and compare with other metro schools, Williamson, Rutherford, Sumner, etc,,,but nobody expects it to be USN or Webb, so no need to even make those types of comparisons)

I don't know how they rank statistically;but I believe they've had a lot of problems with violence & gangs in the past few years.(Even more than other Metro schools)

I remember seeing on the news them hiring some big,imposing "Joe Clark" type principle to try to start cracking down on the trouble makers.

 

 

 

THE SQUAD

[fromthetop2]

Academically, Hillsboro is the top non-magnet in Metro. How far away Hillwood is from their standard is anyone's guess.

Williamson County Schools top Hillsboro in that category, with Brentwood being the top.

No information on the other county schools.

 

Hillwood's academic situation could be viewed as part and parcel as to why students who live in West Meade don't go to school there. It is partially that, partially environment, and partially social. Parents in that part of town feel better about spending money on a private situation than taking the bus (or walking across the street) to Hillwood.

Similar statements, unfortunately, can be made about the other Metro schools.

 

Sadly, it's not like it used to be, back in the old NIL days!

[wingman10]

Yep, the good old days in the NIL

[runtheball]

School populations are a reflection of our society. The kids you see at Hickory Hollow mall and Rivergate mall on Friday and Saturday night are the kids you see in metro schools. The kids you see at Cool Springs are the kids you see at Williamson county schools. The neighborhoods are where the kids come from and the apple does not fall far from the tree. This is just how it is. As far as the quality of education, metro 's teachers and educational oppurtunities are as good as anywhere. You can take a horse to water but you can't make him drink. These are facts, you just play with the hand you are dealt.

Edited May 11, 2006 by runtheball

[salty]

School populations are a reflection of our society. The kids you see at Hickory Hollow mall and Rivergate mall on Friday and Saturday night are the kids you see in metro schools. The kids you see at Cool Springs are the kids you see at Williamson county schools. The neighborhoods are where the kids come from and the apple does not fall far from the tree. This is just how it is. As far as the quality of education, metro 's teachers and educational oppurtunities are as good as anywhere. You can take a horse to water but you can't make him drink. These are facts, you just play with the hand you are dealt.

 

 

runtheball has lurched dangerously close to the truth.

 

political incorrectness and/or white guilt will preclude a full and honest examination of this topic.

[runtheball]

I am not trying to do anything but say it like it is. I'm not talking about any race, I'm talking about socio-ecomomics. I'm just saying that kids are a reflection alot of times of how they are brought up and by who is bringing them up. In coaching football , I never coached white kids or black kids, I just coached football players.

[119wrestler]

I don't know how they rank statistically;but I believe they've had a lot of problems with violence & gangs in the past few years.(Even more than other Metro schools)

I remember seeing on the news them hiring some big,imposing "Joe Clark" type principle to try to start cracking down on the trouble makers.

THE SQUAD

they are having alot of problems with gangs from what i have heard, which was caused by busing in people, before they bussed in people it wasnt nearly as bad. They had Rod Manuel a pretty big principle that seemed to keep things under control but he is at a middle school now, the school as a whole just seems to be wetting worse and worse and act and sat scores are a result of that, i believe hillwood and hillsboro were close for a while as highest act and sat scores for a nonmagnet metro school. maybe they should stop busing people in because alot more people moving in to the pasquo area and out in that direction beyond bellevue, i heard some talk about building a school in bellevue again but i dont know if there is any truth behind it...hopefully it will turn around but they aren't doing anything to turn it around

[Hoganknows]

School populations are a reflection of our society. The kids you see at Hickory Hollow mall and Rivergate mall on Friday and Saturday night are the kids you see in metro schools. The kids you see at Cool Springs are the kids you see at Williamson county schools. The neighborhoods are where the kids come from and the apple does not fall far from the tree. This is just how it is. As far as the quality of education, metro 's teachers and educational oppurtunities are as good as anywhere. You can take a horse to water but you can't make him drink. These are facts, you just play with the hand you are dealt.

runtheball--great post and spoken from the heart. Also, I think on "Friday Night Lights" in Williamson County there will be 5,000 in the stands and in Metro you might get 500.

[nrgrizzlies]

quote:

never coached white kids or black kids, I just coached football players

**********************************************************

 

Thank you. Thugs come in all shades and nationalities. (unfortunate fact)

Some of the kids you see at the food court trying to look "gansta" are on the honor roll at school - just trying to emulate what they saw on MTV.

 

As the people who live near Hillwood have aged and no longer have high school age kids (same with West Meade area closer to West Meade Elem. school), actually many of those people now have kids that are between age 30 and 50, and the parents more likely to have kids age 14 to 17 are farther out toward Bellvue, Pegram, Pasquo, etc - the idea somebody threw out there about Hillwood becoming a magnet school and having a new h.s. close to where the h.s. age kids actually are make more sense.

 

When they buiilt the "new" Bellevue H.S. in the mid-70's across from the old one that looked like the school in the "Hoosiers" movie - I never would have dreamed that it would be turned into a middle school within a few short years.

 

If the old "Hoosiers" building was deemed too old and bad off to keep as the middle school, they could have BUILT A NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL out there instead of the penny-pinching solution they came up with.

 

I didn't understand at the time why the Bellevue parents were soooooo upset.

After all, Hillwood was still a pretty good school. Now that I have gone through a re-zoning controversy in my new area of residence (north Rutherford County) - I understand totally what they were upset about. They were right after all.

Edited May 11, 2006 by nrgrizzlies

[whodat]

 

I remember seeing on the news them hiring some big,imposing "Joe Clark" type principle to try to start cracking down on the trouble makers.

THE SQUAD

Thank you for making me laugh this hard in the morning. 4'10" cheerleader is who they put in charge. Hillwood's trouble began when they relocated all the north Nashville kids from Cheatham Place projects up to 23rd avenue north to Hillwood High from McGavock in the fall of 2001. McGavock was suddenly "cleaned up" by Tribue and Hillwood went from being a hidden "gem" in West Meade to the horrible stink-hole it is now. You can spin that with whatever PC approach you want to, but that is the sad truth. Now Pearl-Cohn only has 700 students (built for 1500), Whites Creek barely has 1000 (built for 1800)., but Hillwood has 1400. They had 1000 when the zones were changed. There are more students attending magnet schools living in the Hillwood cluster than any other school zone. I would bet that there are more students attending private schools from their zone as well. It should have been closed 20 years ago instead of Bellevue. It is too late now. Over 50 teachers have left the school in the last two years. Several retired earlier than they had planned just to get away from what is going on there. Others have transferred to other schools in the system or out of county. The bottom line is you can lead all the cheers you want to, but only so much dirt will fit under that rug. Quit hiding it and start cleaning it out.

[TooSicks]

they are having alot of problems with gangs from what i have heard, which was caused by busing in people, before they bussed in people it wasnt nearly as bad. They had Rod Manuel a pretty big principle that seemed to keep things under control but he is at a middle school now, the school as a whole just seems to be wetting worse and worse and act and sat scores are a result of that, i believe hillwood and hillsboro were close for a while as highest act and sat scores for a nonmagnet metro school. maybe they should stop busing people in because alot more people moving in to the pasquo area and out in that direction beyond bellevue, i heard some talk about building a school in bellevue again but i dont know if there is any truth behind it...hopefully it will turn around but they aren't doing anything to turn it around

 

I have to disagree with the latter portion of your first sentence. While Hillwood, (and most every other school in Metro have gang problems, whther you want to believe it or not), you can not blame it on bussing in "people". I attended Hillwood from the fall of 1986 to the spring of 1990 and I was bussed in. During my time at Hillwood there were never problems like this. So for you to blame it on bussing in people is totally unfounded and borderline racist. (I'll pray for you). If anything, it is the mindset of today's youth. Most of them don't have someone at home to put them in their place and be firm about it. The next time you choose to spout-off on a topic, do your research and keep your personal ignorances out of it.

[shadow]

Interviewing Wed. Baskin, Komisar, Murray, Carson, Moore, and a out of state guy. In these short interviews they decide football knowledge, personal character, ability to fit faculty, student body and community needs, along with educational philosphy . Absolutely incredible, they should be very proud.