Shock over Sparta High School's outdated, inadequate facility

To the editor: I am a Social Studies teacher in a top-rated high school in Morris County. As a concerned Sparta resident, I recently toured the Sparta High School building and was shocked at the inadequate and outdated facility I found. A building that is too small and outdated for its student population severely limits the courses that can be offered, putting our children at a disadvantage when planning their futures. For instance, at my high school, Advance Placement U.S. History is offered to sophomores and juniors. At Sparta High School, it is offered only to seniors. For students applying to college in the fall of their senior year, it’s clear which students have the edge when presenting their transcripts to college admissions officers. Even more startling to me was the lack of elective choices offered to Sparta students. My school offers a range of electives such as Economics, Practical Politics, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, World Power Politics, Investment Principles, Human Behavior, Comparative Religions and Art as Social Activism. Many of these are run as honors courses and are open to juniors as well as to seniors. These electives are popular for a good reason. They are challenging, interesting and are applicable to real life. Students develop a love for learning because they are exposed to enriching subject matter. Honors electives are weighted, so they can provide a boost to a student’s G.P.A. Students also have the opportunity to interact with teachers in a college-style manner, which promotes maturity and self-motivation. Because the subject matter can be more thought-provoking, students often seek to discuss what they’ve learned with their parents - a welcome development in any parent-teenager relationship. By contrast, Sparta High School offers only five electives, and most of these are only half-year courses reserved for seniors. Students are no different from adults - learning is easier when it is fun, challenging and the choice of the learner. More choice brings about happier students, more productive citizens and superior thinkers. Sparta is a wonderful place to live, but we need educational facilities that allow Sparta ’s teachers to prepare our children for the challenges in the century ahead -- in a facility designed for such a purpose. A community reflects its values through its public school system. Sparta’s children are our future, and our nation’s. It is our moral duty as parents and local elders to provide Sparta ’s children with the best resources that develop their fullest potential. It is our duty to provide our nation with citizens that will be able to meet our country’s future challenges, to solve its problems, and to defend it against those who seek to destroy the liberties we cherish. I respectfully urge all voters to vote in favor of the school bond referendum on Sept. 26. Dr. Andrew Buchanan Sparta