Scotts Valley High School

The community of Scotts Valley is a great environment to learn and grow as a person. It is tight-knit and positive and the teachers have a genuine care for their students. Some of my best experiences have been in my IB English classes where I feel like I am gaining life skills. I am challenged to grow from within. In IB English we learn to make our own discoveries and articulate ideas with confidence. Go Falcons!!

The IB English course is AMAZING! It is a challenging course, especially Junior year, but I have no regrets of taking this course. I cannot begin to explain how much it has taught me about writing, speaking, and organizing my thoughts in general. I recommend this course to anyone looking to holistically better their education. It truly prepares students for all aspects of their present and future education. Aside from the IB English course, Scotts Valley High School in general is a terrific school. It has a great environment with friendly students and outstanding academic courses and extra-curricular activities.

Scotts Valley High School does an excellent job preparing its students for a life of knowledge and prosperity. The staff and students present a welcoming atmosphere and a fun environment in which to learn and grow. My absolute favorite class this year (my senior year) is my IB English class. The senior IB teacher recommended I join the class without having taken the junior year of IB English, and, although it is difficult, so far it has proven to be one of the best decisions I have ever made. I truly believe that this class has molded me into a better English student, and has allowed me to rediscover one of my passions, all while making new friends and bonding with people I never thought I would even talk to. I think with the first year of IB English, I would have been far more prepared, and even though some may say it's tough, it is also very beneficial and quite a lot of fun, as I have heard. I am sorry to have missed out on junior year in IB English, but am SO happy to be a part of the senior family. I encourage IB courses to anyone willing to push themselves and searching for a fun, thoughtful year that will prepare you for life!

To the comment regarding the Junior year of IB English, I must respectfully disagree. This course must be intensive, and, while students do have other classes to work around and it may seem difficult at times, it is overall VERY well worth the time and effort put in. A challenging course will shape an incoming IB student into what he or she must become in order to have a successful college experience which is the whole idea of the IB! Without pushing a student in a class that they voluntarily take, what good is the grade bump and college credit? Over the past few years that this program has been available, it has not altered its course and/or material once, and is now, in fact, shifting slightly to ease the new IB English students into the challenging world of IB, and organizing the material so it will not consume as much time as it has in the past, which may have caused these allegations. Over all, this is a wonderful school with an excellent program that does not deserve to be put down the way it has on this forum.

All of my children have attended Scotts Valley High School and found it to be a place of warm, compassionate teachers and students. My children were intellectually stimulated and challenged at exactly the right levels for each of them because they were treated as individuals! What more could a mother ask for? One child was driven to succeed through great art and music teachers; one found the sciences & science teachers motivating; one took several IB courses, and still uses the skills learned in those classes when writing papers for the university. IB art, English, and HOTA were particularly valuable - and the school has been able to retain the high-quality teachers who teach those classes in spite of budget cuts! One of my children needed "extra incentives" to feel good about school -- and has recently remarked that the student government kids have made school better, sometimes even enjoyable! I feel privileged to be able to send my children to a high school where there are so many choices and ways to meet the different needs of each of my children -- and where there are NO "bad" classes or teachers!
--Submitted by a parent

The IB program is excellent except for the Junior year English class. It used to be a great class but now it has so many problems that it makes the kids hate English and no one in the administration wants to do anything about it. Ask a lot of questions about this class before deciding to go full IB. It might not be worth it.
--Submitted by a parent

This high school has many excellent qualities. There are a variety of levels of classes from very low to very high. The IB program allows students to get college credit and prepare for college-level workloads. The Haunted House is a popular, well known (throughout several school districts), and almost completely student run charity. It will this year raise money for one of its own students suffering from leukemia. Also, the student body and student administration take a huge part in setting up interesting and motivational activities like student-run tutoring sessions, charity fundraisers, and assemblies. Strong teacher encouragement and useful benefits encourage more students to take higher level classes and with that take school and their future more seriously.
--Submitted by a student

The school administration lacks diversity and communication. The school does not provide extra help for children who may need it. There are only two counselors for all the students and they seem overwhelmed. The school is facing budget cuts again and some teachers may not return next year.
--Submitted by a parent

I have had the opportunity to work with Mr Gunkel on many different occasions. I have found hiim to be a thoughtful. caring and effective leader. He has provided stability in what was an unsettled beginning for this school, and has dealt decisively with disciplinary issues. My experience has been that families are both happy and proud of SVHS, which is reflected in the amount of parent involvement.
--Submitted by a parent

This is the best school if you want the best education available. You want accountability? The IB program gives international accountability
--Submitted by a parent