To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing in regard to the current state of Arvada High School. This year several changes have occurred in the school that not only upset me but also make me concerned about the student body and the future of the school as a whole.

I graduated from AHS in 2012, and when I left I had a strong sense of pride, respect, and love for the school. This was because of all that the school did for me. During my time at AHS, I was fortunate enough to come into contact with some of the most exceptional teachers I have ever met.

Let me explain why I found these teachers so exceptional. The staff of AHS saw my potential, my talents and skills, and what I had to contribute to the school. They did not see my disability (I am legally blind). But, that didn’t matter to anyone there; they just saw me as any other student and treated me the same as anyone else.

For example, during my junior year I was happily welcomed onto the staffs of the newspaper and yearbook. During my senior year, I was chosen to be Editor-In-Chief of both of these publications. Under the direction of my advisers (Karen Durbin and Kassidy Hetzel) and my leadership these two publications won a total of 23 awards from the Colorado High School Press Association (now known as the Colorado Student Media Association (CSMA)).

In addition to these publications, during my senior year, I joined the newly revamped Bulldog News (BDN). This was a broadcast TV news station. We created news broadcasts that featured school announcements, news packages, entertainment spotlight, and sports coverage. This was the first year that BDN was not just the school video announcements. I was chosen as one of the directors of the station. During that year I helped my adviser build the program up. That year we won seven awards from CSMA.

The advisers of these programs were not the only teachers who did not see my disability as a limitation. During my freshmen year, I was asked by the head wrestling coach to join the team. This was something I would never have even thought about. I thought athletics were outside of my capabilities, but the coaches (John Howes and Nick Floerchinger) did not think this way.

The following year I joined the team, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Not only did it help improve my physical health, but it also helped me socially. Being on the wrestling team really helped me to come out of my shell. But most importantly what being on that team did was show others and myself the only limitation I have is my own attitude. During my three years on the team I lettered twice.

In addition to my involvement with the school journalism program and wrestling team, I also served as a Link Leader and was a member of the school chapter of the National Honor Society. I was also one of two students in my graduating class to receive the Daniels Fund Scholarship.

I realize that it seems as if I’ve strayed from the topic of the current state of AHS, but I felt it was important for you to know some of my backgrounds, so you can better understand where my thoughts and opinions come from.

While a lot has changed since I graduated, the two things that concern me most have taken place this year.

First, the school journalism program has almost entirely disappeared. Currently, all that remains is the school yearbook. This greatly saddens me because I worked extremely hard to help build that program up to the award-winning program it was. I knew that when the advisers I had left the school things would change in the program, but I hoped that it would never disappear.

The loss of this program concerns me for multiple reasons. First off, without a school newspaper, students feel as if they don’t have a voice. They don’t have a place that allows them to express their thoughts and opinions.

Secondly, this hurts students academically. Studies have shown student who are a part of their high school newspaper: earn better grades and receive higher scores on the ACT. Journalism helps students to become better writers by teaching them how to relay information in a concise and professional way. It also teaches students how to conduct research and interviews. These two skills are extremely important for when students enter college. In addition to this journalism also teaches a student to think critically, and see things from a variety of perspectives.

I know that the skills I learned from being a part of the journalism program were a huge asset for me when I entered college. I’m afraid that without a strong journalism program the students of AHS will not learn the valuable skills that will help them in their future.

My other main concern is about the wrestling team. I recently learned that due to certain circumstances, John Howes and Nick Floerchinger are no longer coaching. This was very sad news for me to hear. These men are two of the most welcoming, accepting, kind hearted, hard working, accommodating men I have ever known. If not for them I know I would not be the person I am today.

These two welcomed me onto the wrestling team and treated me like everybody else. They treated every member of the team the same. It didn’t matter what the race, gender, ability, sexual orientation, etc. was, we were all treated equally, and we were expected to treat each other as equals as well. Because of this our team was extremely diverse and had a very strong sense of community. They welcomed anyone who wanted to join the team, and they encouraged those who might not consider it (like me) to join the team.

One thing that was especially great about these coaches was that they didn’t just care about how well we did on the mat; they cared about how we did in the classroom. Academics were extremely important to these two. They made sure everyone was staying on top of their opponent, and their schoolwork. During my senior year when I was running the journalism program, both my coaches understood that this was a priority to me, and that I would sometimes have to miss practice. They were extremely flexible with me in that regard.

With these two no longer coaching, I worry about what will happen with the team now. I’m not talking about the number of matches they win, or how may wrestlers qualify for state. I’m talking about the atmosphere of the team. Knowing the new coach, I’m not sure he will foster the welcoming and inclusive environment that my coaches created.

I’m worried that there will be another student come along, one similar to me, but this time there won’t be someone there asking him to join the team. There won’t be that push to step out of his comfort zone. There won’t be someone showing him that his only limitation is his attitude. There won’t be someone there to change his life.

I also worry that the new coach won’t show the care and concern for the wrestler’s academics. I know that often times in the world of athletics, academics are put on the back burner. This is not the way it should be, but I fear of this happening with the wrestling team.

Now I realize these may seem like two small things, but I see them as major losses to the school. I see these two programs as dominos standing in a line that is being knocked over and rebuilt. Without these two programs, I would not be who I am or where I am today, and I know that these programs had a major impact on many other students.

I’ve taken several education classes in college, and am hopefully going to start earning my Masters degree in education next year, and what I’ve learned is that these matters are not simple. They are usually very complex involving budgets, and enrollment numbers, etc. But, as a proud alumnus, I felt it was my duty to express my concern about what is happening at AHS. I left that school with a strong sense of pride, respect, and love for it, and while I still hold that same pride, respect, and love, AHS is severely different now than when I left it four years ago, and I do not like the direction it is heading.

I hope by writing this letter I have shown someone how important that school is and how much of an impact it had on me. I hope someone will take action to prevent the school from continuing down the path it’s on. It’s not too late to stop the dominos from being knocked over.

Sincerely

Joe Tiner

Arvada High School Alumnus

CSU Daniels Scholars Ambassador

Presidents Multicultural Student Advisory Committee (PMSAC): Public Relations/Marketing Chair

NASPA Undergraduate Fellowship Program (NUFP): Fellow

Ability Club: President

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