W E Cherry Elementary School

My school is awesome! I love W.E. Cherry!! My daughter and nieces and nephew go there and have for years.
—Submitted by a parent

And....as a W.E. Cherry alumna, I can correct my typos as well...."I am well aware there are many variables that play when it comes to a child's success."* I would never want to shame those excellent teachers I had.

All three of my grandchildren have attended W.E. Cherry. Each one has received a superior education, had wonderful and caring teachers and made life long friends. The youngest grandchild is in third grade at present and loves to go to school! The personal commitment to each and every student sets W.E. Cherry apart from other schools and adds to the students joy of education.

This is a quick reply to the lady who said "I have never seen a school whose principal and teachers assure kids are given exposure to the extra and remain safe". The reason they do that is because of Somer Thompson's kidnapping.

I have never seen a school whose principal and teachers assure that kids are given exposure to the extras and remain safe. They often provide programs on their own time and dollar to assure that music and arts are not lost in these times of economic cut backs. They even assure our childrens safety by organizing block watches with teachers standing on corners to watch our kids walk home safely. When I first moved to Florida, I was a bit disturbed at the look of the school and was not sure the children would receive a quaility education. Well six years later, my twins last year in elementary, I can attest to the quality education my children received. They have both scored 4 and 5 on all FCATS. Thank you W.E. Cherry teachers you are wonderful Thank you pricipal you have assured an A+ team for our kids.
—Submitted by a parent

I have one child at W E Cherry and another that just left to go to the OPJH, and I truly love the faculty and staff here. There motto they tell you when you walk in the door is W E C where everyone cares! They have the best school around.
—Submitted by a parent

W.E. Cherry is an absolutely amazing school...from the teachers to the falculty to the Principal. I have never seen a principal so caring about her students. She really is always looking out for them and really cares about their education. The teachers are wonderful. I have had such great experiences with everyone of the teachers my kids have had. My daughter is in 6th grade and has always been at Cherry and my son is in 3rd. I live outside of WE Cherry school district and I choose to take my kids there rather than the new Oakleaf school. I just absolutely love it and it is worth the little inconvenience.....Go Cherry!
—Submitted by a parent

10 We have a graet principal and a staff like family. We love our kids and do anything to provide a safe and loving place for them to learn.
—Submitted by a teacher

My child loves W.E.C. The teachers communicate well with the parent. There is a lot of parent involvement, which helps a school. The school is well diversed and the teachers and faculty really do care about the child more than on an academic level. This school is one big family. Your child will not only get an education at this school but a sense of community and good citizenship.
—Submitted by a parent

Both of my children went to this school from k-6 and we have had no problems. The faculty and staff are excellent and most have been there the entire time my kids were there. I hate to think that this is my daughters last year there. The school has gotten better each year and with the new Principal Angela Whiddon I can say that it will continue to get better. The arts, music, math, reading and science classes are wonderful. The access to help for the parents is bountiful, the learning lab that we have access to is great. I wish my kids could stay at this school forever.
—Submitted by a parent

My niece attends W.E. Cherry. The faculty is very friendly and helpful. The reading and technology programs are very useful for my niece. I also appreciate their tutoring. I attended this school myself back in the 1980s and have great memories of this community school.
—Submitted by a former student

Much success with my son in this school. My daughter is having special needs however, and I haven't been impressed with the schools effort to help on this issue.
—Submitted by Jim Doughfman, a parent

This is a reply to the lady that wrote in that 'P.E. Twice a week in the heat of the day is just unhealthy'. I am a former student, I attended W.E. Cherry for all of my Elem. Year. K-5. Back when 6th grade was not part of W.E. Cherry. I had P.E. every day, in the heat of the day. It never hurt me. As a matter of fact all through my school years I had P.E. Every single day, in the rain, in the heat, in the cold. And a few times even in the little bit of snow we had. We did not have a gym, we on rare occasions had classes in the portables. Where we still did physical stuff. Kids need this activity. Do you want a lazy couch kid that lives from video games? As for the pizza and tater tots. Don't you know by now that those are a special treat for the kids? I remember as a kid looking forward to pizza day. We sure did not get it at home so pizza day was the thing. I do agree that kids do need an art class. But they also need to learn the technical stuff at an early age to be better suited for todays standards of living.
—Submitted by Betty Landram, a former student

I have two children at W.E.Cherry and they both have had excellent, positive experiences with their teachers and classes. The teachers have an 'open door' policy so parents are involved with their childs educations from the very beginning, instead of waiting until there's a problem. The school really made me proud when I saw the FCAT results! It made me happy that we kept our children at W.E.C. instead of sending them to another school-which we had considered. The teachers are very creative (which keeps the kids wanting to learn) and they love what they do, which makes all the difference in the world! The parent involvement is high at W.E.C.-including rotating room mothers and help with book sales and other events. Parent involvement is key to a successful school as well as to the kids education. I am unhappy though with the extracurricular activities. Having P.E. twice a week in the heat of the day isn't practical or healthy. The P.E. teachers refuse to listen to students who do have health issues, and then belittle them when they are unable to participate. What will it take to make gym teachers realize that not every child is a born athlete? Not every child is capable of running a track in 90 degree heat. P.E. doesnt have to be about strenuous activities but instead stretching, yoga and fun. Whatever happened to having art classes? Doesn't that open a creative mind? Computer class is a little late and doesnt offer much more than what can be taught at home via CD-Roms or the internet. The school lunch program is another 'problem', in my honest opinion. Serving pizza with tater tots and corn isn't balanced-too many starches and carbs! It seems that whenever I visited my child for lunch, the food guideline rules weren't being used. What about the 5 a day rule for vegetables and fruits? The menu never matched what was being served at school and I can't comprehend that. I believe the entire reason children are over weight is because of what they are fed at school. I now pack my childrens lunches. As for discipline, I can say that my oldest child had a 'problem'(cruel name calling, throwing sand, tripping and pushing) with another student and each time the problem was reported the teacher and office staff regarded it as 'tattling'. The entire year was spent with my child trying to avoid this boy instead of having the problem taken seriously. Teachers and staff need to take every complaint seriously-because the psychological torment can be worse than the physical abuse. Overall, I am happy with W.E.Cherry and am anxious for the 2003-04 school year to get underway.
—Submitted by a parent