Live Oak

Live Oak High

I went to school at Live Oak High, a very over crowded school, located approximately 30 miles south of San Jose, CA, which is where I lived. When I attended this school it seemed very big, but there were too many students to provide adequate space for everyone. The school district was in dire need of a second high school and plans were underway, but would not be complete until after I graduated. Luckily, I was part of a program that allowed me to avoid some of the overcrowding problem, though not all of it. This caused part of my experience at Live Oak to be a dreadful one.

Live Oak High was located in a desolate part of town. Across from the school was a field of grapes and a winery, looking from the school you could see the shimmering ties glimmering in the sunlight. To each side of the school was only dried up grass fields. The front of the school had a public bus stop, a grassy knoll with tall oak trees, and a sign. The sign read Ð''Live Oak High School' in large print and underneath in small print it read Ð''go nuts!' This was a reference to our school mascot, the acorn. I always thought it was strange not to have a stronger mascot such as a panther or a mustang. However it did keep me amused at school rallies when a student in an acorn costume would run out and all of the students would start chanting "Go Nuts!" A tall green gate surrounded the front and sides of the school with an opening in the back for the tennis court. Behind the tennis court was a baseball field and a soccer field. On the left side of the soccer field, was a football field surrounded by bleachers, where all of the fans would sit to root on our fearless acorns.

Live Oak High was the largest school I had ever attended. It had a library, a theater, and several buildings for: math, science, English, history, foreign language, and computers. Off to the side were two buildings used for electives such as cooking, ceramics, woodworking, etc. Behind these buildings was a large black top filled with many ugly brown portable classrooms. Some were old and worn down, while others looked new. Live Oak was an outdoor school, the classroom doors were located on the outside of the buildings, and there were no indoor hallways. On a rainy day, the overhangs around the buildings provided various spots for the students to stay dry. Although there was no cafeteria, there were many green picnic tables and small patches of green grass around campus. This worked out nicely as a place for me and my friends to hang out and enjoy our lunch.

I was part of the computer business academy, the same program my sister had attended 6 years prior. To get into the academy I was interviewed while still in middle school by all of the lead academy teachers. Sense they all loved my sister when she attended I was a shoe in. There were about 45 members of the academy for each grade level. The Program was one that ran within the school; it did not have its own campus or building. When I had English class, I would go to the English building just like the other students. Except my class would have an academy teacher and students in it instead. The program was aimed to give students more of an individual learning experience, so each class consisted of only fifteen to twenty students, and one teacher. The classes included in the program were computers, English, science, and history.