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Just a few months into my daughter Adrienne's eighth grade year at Southside Fundamental School, we began talking about high school options. Although it seemed distant to her, I knew she had to act fast to narrow her choices.
Though she would have been eligible for extended grandfathering into Boca Ciega High School, she had her eye on several magnet programs, and the deadlines came early.
She had a long-standing interest in Lakewood's Center for Advanced Technologies, mainly because her older brother graduated from there in 1996 and loved it. He presumed she'd automatically follow in his footsteps. I wanted to make sure she made the decision that was right for her.
Several of her friends were interested in the International Baccalaureate program at St. Petersburg High, so that was also a consideration. Adrienne had performed in several plays at St. Petersburg Little Theater, so she wanted to check out Gibbs High School's Center for the Arts program as well.
As parents, we were afraid the new choice system could result in none of our daughter's high school wishes being granted, so we insisted she visit a private school as a possible backup. She spent a day at St. Petersburg Catholic High School and felt very welcome there.
We got on the schedule for shadowing dates at the public schools as soon as possible. Office secretaries were extremely accommodating; the students being shadowed were enthusiastic hosts. As might be expected, I got little feedback from my daughter after these forays onto different campuses.
At St. Petersburg High, Adrienne seemed intimidated by rules about not stepping on the Green Devil's image or walking through the senior courtyard. At Gibbs, we learned the school was going to be disrupted by construction - a rebuilding of the school. Adrienne's elementary school had been turned into a construction site and she spent a year in a portable classroom, so we decided not to repeat the experience.
Lakewood's CAT program seemed like the most comfortable fit.
Then came the waiting game. She was accepted into the IB program but put on the wait list for CAT. Adrienne made the decision: She didn't want IB, she wanted CAT. So we gave up a sure thing hoping for the best, and we got lucky. Adrienne got into the CAT, where she's happy and seems to be doing well.
So have your child start shadowing early. Be prepared with a backup school choice. And hope you get lucky.