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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2010 > May > 07 > Entry
Kevin Riley: Stivers is one of Dayton’s selling points
Last week we got a dose of tough news about the Dayton Public Schools when the school board announced it would cut 70 positions as part of its effort to tackle a $6.3 million deficit in next year’s budget.
The school district seems to be fighting a non-stop list of problems that take the spotlight off some of its schools and students who are achieving remarkable things.
Of course, one of those remarkable schools is Stivers School for the Arts.
But it’s more than just a gem for Dayton and the school district. For two families I recently spoke with that are planning to move to our region, the school and its staff have been a recruiting tool. At a time when many families avoid urban school districts, Stivers is a school that is being sought out.
In fact, Stivers gets hundreds of inquiries from parents in the Dayton region who are interested in sending their children there. The school’s supporters have funded a part-time position to handle all of those calls.
But back to those two families.
Anne Gunter and her husband live in the Phoenix area, where she works for the Air Force Research Laboratories. They have a son who will graduate from high school in 2011, and their daughter will start high school that fall.
Her job with AFRL in Mesa will move to Dayton as part of the Base Realignment and Closure process. She hopes to time things in a way that allows her daughter to start high school in the Dayton area. Her daughter, who sings and acts, attends a performing arts school in Arizona.
“I really want her to continue in a performing arts school,” Gunter said. She has been part of three productions in the past year. Gunter’s research online and conversations with folks from Dayton led her to Stivers.
Gunter toured the school a few weeks ago. Her daughter couldn’t come because she was in the middle of rehearsals for yet another production.
Gunter’s reaction to Stivers: “That’s where she belongs.”
She was impressed with both students and teachers.
“That’s where you can see the true dedication,” she said.
Lisa Brown-Hite works at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia. She’s also moving to Dayton to take a job at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, to be closer to family and her son, who will be attending a Kentucky college. Her move is not part of the BRAC process, but rather a personal choice.
She has two daughters, a 15-year-old who sings and plays piano, and a 14-year-old who sings and plays the saxophone. Brown-Hite teaches piano.
As she explored school options in Dayton, her research sent her to Stivers.
In April, Brown-Hite and her daughters flew to Dayton for auditions at the school. “It’s phenomenal,” Brown-Hite said.
Brown-Hite also said her daughters’ enthusiasm for the chance to attend Stivers is helping with the challenges of moving two teen-age daughters. Her youngest was at first unwilling to audition, but changed her mind.
“It gives the kids something to look forward to,” she said. “It’s a special high school.” As we in the Dayton region rebound from the recession and transition away from our dependence on manufacturing jobs, individual stories like these show what’s possible; they instill confidence.
Recall that about 1,200 jobs are coming to Wright-Patterson because of the BRAC moves.
Each one of those jobs involves an individual family’s choice to make a major change in their lives. The base has the potential to draw others to the region as well. In these two cases, Stivers has made the choice to move a lot easier.
At this point, both of these families continue their preparations to move to Dayton. And they await word from Stivers about whether their kids have been accepted.
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Comments
By It's Great in Dayton!!
May 7, 2010 7:33 PM | Link to this
Stivers is, indeed, wonderful. What about the other 95% of DPS?
By davidss2
May 8, 2010 3:14 PM | Link to this
Isn’t Stivers supposed to be educating all of the DAyton students instead of a select few, even including others from out of the district. You said there was a part time person to handle inquiries from outside the district? Dayton first. There are lots of students in trouble in Dayton City Schools without educating the outside folk’s students.
By It's Great in Dayton!!
May 9, 2010 7:21 AM | Link to this
It’s time to accept the obvious: City of Dayton has been in a long period of decline, and that decline will continue for quite a while. ——Those that have purchased real estate in Dayton will probably lose money. ——Jobs in Dayton will be fewer and fewer. ——Police and fire protection have already been cut, and will be cut further. ——DPS has been a disaster for years, with no hope of improvement. ——Abandoned properties are a chronic problem. ———-GET OUT OF DAYTON NOW!!!——-
By fortressdayton
May 9, 2010 5:10 PM | Link to this
Stivers is a great school. Why? Because you have to WANT to go there AND!!! you have to meet some standards, something many DPS students and teachers are unfamiliar with. If everyone could go to Stivers, it would be as wonderful as the other DPS Herding Pens in the city. Look at attendance stats on public TV and you will see the highest attendance rate of any Dayton school when Stivers is listed. Meadowdale and other schools often post double digit absences. Wanna guess why??? I am sorry for Stivers that they have to be associated with DPS.
By It's Great in Dayton!!!!
May 12, 2010 8:15 AM | Link to this
DAYTON IS DEAD! MOVE!!——————— DDN- Montgomery County lost 61,503 jobs from 2000 to 2009. Massive job losses resulted in huge declines in paycheck wages. The damage to Montgomery County was among the worst in Ohio. Montgomery County saw a $3 billion – 24.6 percent— drop in wages from 2000 to 2009. Only Cuyahoga County took a bigger hit than Montgomery County. Warren and Greene were two of 16 Ohio counties that GAINED JOBS since 2000. Warren gained 13,458 jobs and Greene gained 4,221——————————DAYTON IS DEAD! MOVE!!——————— DAYTON IS DEAD! MOVE!!———————
By Alumni
May 13, 2010 8:52 AM | Link to this
Way to go, Stivers!! The teacher, students and parents make this school - not the Dayton Public Schools system. Maybe some of the other area schools should follow suit and take pride in their educational institution.