Since Aug. 21, 2023, Aliso Niguel High School has been sharing their facilities with OCASA Charter School. This charter school was previously commissioned to teach alongside San Juan Hills High School but has switched locations this coming year.
A charter school is a public and tuition free program that provides great flexibility to its students. Charter schools may be good options for parents or children that do not want to attend a bigger and chaotic school.
Jenny Wu, a teacher from the Charter School says, “Sharing facilities with a high school has not been disruptive and the people I have seen walk by are respectful or there isn’t much interaction.”
Many people including students and staff seem to feel no difference while being next to a new school. Having the charter school has no significant impact on the learning environment for students.
Ms. Erhard, a teacher at ANHS, says, “I don’t really see any of the students, I think that if I were by the portables I would, but it’s easy to not have an opinion on them if I don’t see them.
The charter school has been granted the portable section of ANHS. Due to this, many teachers had to transfer classrooms from the portables to a hall in order to accommodate the charter school. Although this might have bothered some staff who had to move, most teachers seem satisfied with their new environment and classroom setup.
The science building bathrooms were also granted access to the charter school causing some students to be upset at the lack of bathroom access. Since the science building has the newest and nicest bathrooms, it is completely understandable why students feel annoyed at their limited access to it.
The charter school has provided their own lunch tables around their classroom though the school should be adding more tables in the ANHs section because of the huge number of students that cannot access a table during lunch everyday.
This charter school program used to share facilities with San Juan Hills High School before their contract ended with them. Since this charter school is a part of the Capistrano Unified School District, it was invited to share facilities with ANHS
OCASA Charter School consists of students from sixth to twelfth grade. This means that middle schoolers will share the same learning environment with students that are much older than them. Although students may think it is weird to share schools with younger students, it is absolutely harmless and provides the middle schoolers a concept of what high school may look like in their future.
Camila Abarca (11) says, “I have classes with the portables, but I have never had a bad encounter with any of the charter school students or staff.”
It is important to be inclusive and supportive as a community for any learning environment or education for children and teens. That’s why ANHS is doing the right thing to sacrifice their own buildings and supplies to support a greater number of students. While there are some students who may disapprove of the new school, ANHS students should continue to showcase their respect and support to other people learning.
