Bernardo Heights Middle School

"although this school is really great, one of the cons of the school is the "orchestra teacher" ms reiner. i dread all days i walk into her classroom. she always talks about her kitty cats and concerts for the whole period when you have the opportunity to practice. if you have a busy schedule i don’t recommend her. also she states “twin peaks middle school” is better than her classes even though we do not need her opinion shoved in our throats. the teachers aren’t that bad, the noon duty workers don’t even know what’s going on at lunch. i hate the fact where at lunch a huge crowd of people surrounds a table near me. there’s also people who are very offensive and people who say disrupting things in class, so watch out. also, some of the athletic boys can be sexist. don’t join orchestra if you want to be happy."

"I've been a student in BHMS since 2014, and it's a pretty good school. This school has its pros, but its cons as well. After the first week you attend this school, its a safe bet to say that your child innocence will be long gone. There is so much cussing, (like the f-word, b-word, d-word), that they are basically regular words.Students will say very racist and offensive things to you without a second thought. Also students will expose you in things that you wouldn't expect. Just type in anything inappropriate for kids to know, and that's what you are exposed to. And the staff doesn't do anything about it. In the assemblies, it says that "Any inappropriate language will be dealt with seriously", but nothing happens even if you swear with a teacher 6 feet away from you. Speaking of teachers, we have some really great teachers (like Mrs. Navarro-shes the best), but the rest either don't care about their students, or just straight down hate their jobs. Getting a great teacher like Mrs. Navarro is rare at this school, and that is horrible because there is so many depressed students that need a trusted teacher to talk to, but they don't have that because their teachers just don't care. This school desperately needs better teachers. There are good things about BHMS, like the large amount of (free) clubs you can join (join Best Buddies and BNN!!!), and the ASB team works very hard and makes great dances and friday lunches a blast with the music. I'm in 8th grade, and I love school. But I hated this school in 6th and 7th grade, which shouldn't happen. All students should love school from the first day they walk in. Class of 2017!"

"I love Bernardo Heights. Bernardo Heights is a great middle school. Unlike many tv shows and books, its a mixed crowd. Some act cool, others act calm but nice. The teachers are great, and you learn so much as the day rushes by. Theres just enough homework, and so many clubs. The electives are great, and the elective teachers are nice and helpful. The cafeteria is better than you'd think. Just worry about your grades and you'll be fine. - anonymous"

"Hostile peers, vulgar language, and teachers who seem to simply not care - that's the best out of my own experience I've had at BHMS. Though the academics are well taught, you can only pursue few options for electives (four of which are music/theater-based, one art-based, and one language-based). This makes for an increasingly repetitive middle school experience; if you are not interested in music, 'science through technology' or theater, your only options left are Spanish, other academically-based electives and art. Field trips are never given until the very end of the year, besides the eighth grade spring break trip (that could easily be spent going to Europe, instead of places on the East Coast). On the subject of eighth grade, the 'Constitutional Challenge' all students are forced to do in eighth grade is almost completely pointless - if this is the way they decided we would get important government and law information in our heads, they were very wrong. Being forced to make hundreds of flashcards and never using them due to anxiety applies to many, many of the students I have encountered at BHMS. The rules and regulations are actively threatened, yet not often executed (in ways that they should be, at least), and in return, it makes the students dislike the staff even more. Very little effort is made by (the majority) of the staff to stop and think that maybe, just maybe, not every student is a child being exposed to brand new concepts for the very first time. Being treated as a generalized group of people (in a negative way) does not make students like their school even more, it has the exact opposite effect. I realize my statement is hypocritical, but in honest truth, I too feel as if I am surrounded by little children - well, "children" that actively curse, and make other very disturbing comments in the hallways and during class. I am not entirely sure if the staff notice, or even if they care; either way, a little too much freedom can result in horrible episodes of mental abuse for some people, and for others, feeling like they absolutely have to get away from this school, no matter what it takes. That does not mean we should not ne given the freedom to express in artistic ways, such as dance and photography (both courses of which this school does not offer). Physical education is not very enticing to many of the students I've talked to. The teachers do not offer any other options besides running everyday, involuntarily participating in sports, and participating in a sport outside of school (for more than 5 hours per week). No hiking, no swimming, no tolerance for not wishing to participate in team sports; we are not all interested in playing football for two months straight, believe it or not. The physical education staff also ask for very baffling new regulations (such as: being forced to stay in a straight line at the locker rooms, though there are far too many students for that to work out very well). Overall, Bernardo Heights Middle School has some of the most downgrading, hostile, and unbelievably vulgar "kids" I've ever come into contact with. The staff say that they are very watchful, yet they don't enforce their rules in productive and helpful manners; it makes everything far worse than it has to be. Authorities and educators rate this as an exceptional school, yet I've had the absolute worst experiences with my own peers; you have no idea what goes on inside a school until you talk to the kids, not the teachers. Don't be blind."