J. L. Long Middle School in Lakewood (Dallas, Lancaster: zoned, teachers)

[ANLr]

Long went through a rough patch of principal changes several years ago but is going strong now. The principal grew up in the neighborhood and her own child attends. She has worked in the past with the new principal at the high school and they are coordinating the IB and Pre-AP curriculum and in some cases sharing teachers. The campuses are next door to each other. Today there are 900 kids at Long for science and math competition.

[michmat]

If you visit Long you will be underwhelmed--esp coming from the park cities--as the campus is undergoing major-construction updates. That said, I have an 8th grader and can name a hundred students who are having a positive experience at Long. Traditionally, 85+% of Lakewood Elementary students attend Long Middle School and Stonewall Jackson's attendance percentage is steadily increasing. This year's accomplishments include 4 sports with district and/or city-wide championships; double digit numbers of students in all-city/region choir; math and science team regional competitors; and city-wide, regional and state-wide competitors in science fair competition, just to name a few.

I always find it interesting that people love the elementary school--are excited about the high school--but are scared of the middle school...who do we think attends the middle school? It's the same students who are at Lakewood Elementary and WWHS. Most of the "questions of concern" I receive about Long are from parents who "heard from someone this or that" rather than accurate, direct experiences of families with students at the school. It may not be the right fit--but don't automatically discount it out of fear.

The achievers achieve and those who choose not to engage sadly will fall by the wayside.

Good luck with your decision making!

[Lakewooder]

Long's Choir program will hold two performances this week. On Thursday, March 1, there will be a performance only, at 7:00 PM. Tickets for the show are $2 and may be purchased at the door. Friday, March 2 brings the Dinner Theater and silent auction. The evening begins at 6:00 PM with dinner in the cafeteria. During dinner service there will also be a silent auction. Items in the auction include, gift baskets, service coupons, restaurant certificates, gift cards, jewelry, artwork and MUCH more. The ticket price is only $6 and includes dinner, dessert, silent
auction and choir performance.

Tickets may be purchased at the
door.

[TheRedTelephone]

I'm happy to hear J.L. Long is on the upswing. I was a Lakewood-to-Long student who, in hindsight, wished I had NOT spent my junior high school years there. Perhaps today would be different? I sincerely hope so.

JL Long was not a pleasant place to be in the mid-1980's. Compared to the coddling warmth of Lakewood Elementary, JL Long felt like some sort of dangerous juvenile prison. For every good and supportive staff member such as Dr. Trevino, there were three bad apples to take his place: One tyrant, one nutcase, and one who was locked in an apathetic death-spiral of indifference. I couldn't (or didn't know how to) get the help I needed, nor knew what I was witnessing every day was evidence of a school running hopelessly off the rails.

For example, well before the days of uniforms and metal detectors, I remember massive gang fights after school. Sometimes with dangerous weapons like knives or even rumors of guns. Theft of money and personal items was commonplace and expected. Kids smoked joints literally on the school sidewalk. Demolition crews flattening the buildings across the street found extra "help" from some of the kids after school. I hated every day I spent at JL Long... learned nothing except how to survive... and very nearly became a criminal by association.

To be fair, the junior high school years are a tough time regardless of which school one attends. My concern with JL Long is that it very nearly derailed my life and later career success. Which is why I believe it is more than fair to consider making the extra sacrifice to provide a "soft and focused" educational alternative for any student who is having an unusually difficult time adjusting to that middle phase of youth if resources allow it. I spent one semester at Bending Oaks (class size: 4) after JL Long and immediately went from a D-student with 80 unexcused absences to a straight-A student. Obviously, this was not a coincidence.

Based upon my experiences, I'd spend as much time as possible auditing the school, classes, cafeteria, recess, and morning/afternoon periods before making a commitment to Long. Middle-school minds are vulnerable and impressionable and bombarded with hormones and all sorts of new changes. Perhaps some kids do well with "trial by fire", but I was one of those quiet sensitive thinkers who found no opportunity for personal enrichment amid the chaos. Before dumping my kid into the system and hoping for the best, I'd make extra sure the "new" Long fosters a palpable sense of collaboration and support. Something I could sense in my gut that was right for my child. Otherwise no go.

Long wasn't the right choice for me and it cost me more than my grades. I persuaded my parents to move to another district because I had had enough. Turns out, my Woodrow alums said it got a lot better over there. Not only did I miss growing up with them, but my beautiful childhood home was sold to facilitate the move. Sad. But all is finally right again after much work and many years.

Ultimately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Know your child, know your school, choose deliberately and carefully, and hope for the best. My parents didn't do their homework. For your kids' sake, I hope you will.

[pepper131]

Originally Posted by TheRedTelephone

JL Long was not a pleasant place to be in the mid-1980's. Compared to the coddling warmth of Lakewood Elementary, JL Long felt like some sort of dangerous juvenile prison. For every good and supportive staff member such as Dr. Trevino, there were three bad apples to take his place: One tyrant, one nutcase, and one who was locked in an apathetic death-spiral of indifference. I couldn't (or didn't know how to) get the help I needed, nor knew what I was witnessing every day was evidence of a school running hopelessly off the rails.
.

This was your experience 25 yrs ago. Can you speak to the current situation? If we all spoke about facts from a quarter of a century ago...well....what's the point?

[TheRedTelephone]

Oh you hush. One person's perspective is just that. Now let's all play nice during recess.

[Lakewooder]

Long hosted the first area TMSCA state qualifying competition on February 25th. Over 700 students from all over North Texas, competed in the math and science competition. The Long 6th grade team came in 2nd place overall. 17 students qualified for the state competition, to be held later in the spring in San Antonio.

Competition Results

Long 6th Grade Science Team placed 2nd.
Will Schweizer- 8th place
Jon Medin- 10th place
Aaron Furman- 11th place
James Clapp -13th place
Yessica Morales- 17th place

17 Students have qualified to go to the State competition:
Travis West
Harrison DuBose
Lesley Renneker
Aaron Furman
Isidro Ramirez
Jon Medin
Will Schweizer
James Clapp
Yessica Morales
Ethan Bowman
Sebastian Oliveros
Cade Fennegan
Rian Gutierrez
Brooks Norton
Juan Estrada
Aubrey Roberts
Jack Watkins

There were many teachers, parents and former students that volunteered their time for the competition. A special thanks to following chairpersons that helped organize the event:

Announcer: Aubrey Frank
Awards: Scott Arnold
Volunteer Coordinator: Marla Spellman
Concessions: Martha Norton and Marie Zarate
Hospitality: Ruth Ramirez, Susan Watkins, Carrie Furman
Grading Rooms: Laura Tepera, Tammy Murchison, Michelle Scruggs

[Lakewooder]

Thursday, May 3
7:00 - 8:30 pm
5331 Monticello Ave. Dallas, TX 75206
... at the home of Jill, Kevin, and Caleb Lewis

3rd through 5th grade parents from feeder schools Lakewood and Stonewall:

You are invited to come meet some of the Stonewall and Lakewood families who chose JL Long. Parents and students of JL Long will be on-hand for you to ask questions and get to know these great kids and their families. Find out what their experience has been like at JL Long and why they are proud to be Buccaneers!

[Lakewooder]

J. L. Long musical, "Bananas in Space", 7:30 pm Friday May 11 and Saturday May 12 - $10 at the door.

[Lakewooder]

From SBDM end-of-year report by attorney/parent Vince Murchison:

As we wrap up this school year, I want to share with you, our friends and families, the accomplishments of your World Famous J.L. Long Middle School Site Based Decision Making Committee, and to preview next year - a year in which we will usher in a new way of doing business at J.L. Long Middle School.
Looking Back at 2011 - 2012:
• The Concilio: This parent education program was attended by parents from every school in our attendance zone, and some 60+ families graduated in May. Ben DuBose single-handedly raised the funds to provide this program; even though Dallas ISD was prepared to help financially, Ben put us in position to say "Thanks, but we got it!" allowing those District funds to help other schools. So..., muchas gracias to Ben for a superb first-year SBDM home run blast
• Bond Construction: If you think things are a mess while you are at the school, you shoulda seen it when we were out on winter break - the crews literally tore the place apart and put it back together again in the space of two weeks. The good news is that Peter Ferris (remember him?) and Troy Hotchkiss have spent untold hours meeting with the project managers and Dallas ISD bond program folks to keep the school running amidst the fray. Getting a temporary A/C fix for the Musical presented one of our more traumatic weeks, and though it wasn't frosty, Dallas ISD went beyond the call to make things tolerable. Thanks to Dan Smith of Parsons and Steven Solka of Dallas ISD for mashing that one into place. So you know, we understand that work will conclude in September.
• Public Relations: Jim Weber jump-started our thinking on an integrated public relations program; the idea is to start with an package containing a new logo and new slogan "GO LONG!" (why didn't we think of that?) - for use by all groups associated with J.L. Long - then grow things from there. There's more to say on this for 2012-2013, below.
• International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme: In January, we commenced meetings of an Ad Hoc Committee - made up of campus reps and Dallas ISD upper management - to set up our classes, schedules, faculty needs, professional development, student resources, and the like. Lori Walker has played a huge role organizing, secretary-ing, corralling, and cajoling the Ad Hoc Committee (she swears she's having fun!). And IB coordinator Tiron Anderson has been working with our faculty on the nuts and bolts of the IB way of life, coordinating IB training, and keeping us on track with the IB Organization.
• Your Point Is? The reason for all that is that this fall we must be a fully implemented IB/MYP school on Day One - August 27, 2012 - in preparation for our certification visit in late Winter 2013. That used to sound a long ways away.... More below.
• IB/MYP Funding: Last and certainly not least, Monty Watson has quietly worked in the background to devise a mechanism for community support for the IB/MYP - we've enjoyed tremendous support from the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees, our Superintendent, and Central Administration - but eventually we'll to help carry the load. Monty's still working on his plan, but read "community" expansively - he's not talking just about parents.
• So Long, Go Long: Victor Aves is moving on to high school - thanks to Victor for three years of regular attendance and steadfast support.
Looking Forward to 2012-2013
• International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme:
o This is a bigger deal than most of us realize - only 38 schools in Texas offer MYP, and there's not but 452 in the U.S. and about 1,000 in the world (you can check my math and my thinking at IB Middle Years Programme at a glance).
o We remain a candidate school - but the Big Event - our certification visit in late Winter - will make it official (let's do this once and only once...)
o Two subcommittees to the IB/MYP Ad Hoc Committee are hard at work planning to prepare our school grounds on the one hand, and our students, faculty and community on the other hand:
 Facilities: Consisting of reps from SBDM, PTA, the Bond program, and Dallas ISD Facilities department, this group is identifying campus needs for functionality and beautification - new school, new look - then collaborating to assemble the resources and execute. We owe many thanks to Troy Hotchkiss, Laurie Murray, Blis Freeman, Maria Hasbany, and our Dallas ISD Bond and Facilities guys. See Home Tour, below.
 Communications: Consisting of reps from SBDM, PTA, and the Dallas ISD Communications Department, this group is crafting a communications plan for informing the World (mainly that part in Dallas) about our entry to the IB Programme. And many thanks to Jim Weber, Heather Brooks, Helene Honeybone, Jennifer Kindert, Maria Hasbany, and the Dallas ISD Communications team. See Home Tour, below.
 Those folks will be hard at it all summer in preparation for Day One, August 27.
 Finally, we will continue to work with the Dallas ISD Board and Central Administration to implement the MYP
• Call-Out Time: Give a hearty "Thanks!" the next time you see one our Trustees, Central Administrators, Principals, and other folks involved in this venture. Better yet, send a letter or email to the Board and the Superintendent - they've been steadfast in their support for J.L. Long
• Lakewood Home Tour: PTA Prez Maria Hasbany has set us up for a HUGE event this November - J.L. Long will be featured on the Lakewood Home Tour and host the Home Tour's International Café. Our IB/MYP preparations are fully integrated with Home Tour preparations. That's an event that surely will be a hoot (that's West Texas for 'fun'), and we all look forward to re-introducing J.L. Long to our neighbors.
• The Concilio: The intrepid Ben DuBose is already at work on next year's program; thanks, fella.
Your SBDM is a strong and effective group - help me help J.L. Long by giving a big 'attaboy' or 'attagirl' to the administrators, faculty, parents, and community members who make up this stellar assembly. From the Chair to the SBDM: Thank you very much for your service in support of student learning at J.L. Long Middle School.
Enjoy your summer, and above all, be safe. Vince.Murchison@snrdenton.com