First things first–our district just sent an email out to all employees. You see, the Torrance Unified School District has a new web site that represents all our schools in the surrounding community, and wanted everyone to give it a look. You can find the site HERE. Check it out. Pay close attention to the window dressing–the slide show of pictures at the top of the home page. It’s a banner that should run on its own. If not, you may have to click the buttons.
Speaking of community, it is painfully apparent where the North High community resides. There’s a picture of Torrance High students, one of South High’s ASB, one of West High students, another picture of the Torrance Board of Education breaking ground with their shovels, and, finally, bringing up the rear, is North High School. Also of note is a gallery of 16 pictures, where Torrance, South, West, and the shovelers make the cut with the same pictures, but North does not. Yep, we are left out of the overall gallery.
I work at North High School. My wife worked there for 21 years before voluntarily leaving this year. We are pretty visible in the Torrance community–we do leave our lairs now and again–and when we’re at the Farmer’s Market, or Trader Joe’s, or a local restaurant, parents and members of the community will stop by and say hello. But, recently, they also ask a question–“What’s happening at North High?” They usually follow it up with something along the lines of “I’ve heard things.” The implication from them is that things aren’t so swell.
The answers to the community’s questions are an entirely different issue. The deal is, we have a brand. After years of me asking administration what our brand is, they finally got together and decided on a slogan and logo. We are Saxon Strong. The logo is the age-old N for North with the sword going through it. Around the N and sword are the words Saxon Strong. I like it. There’s a big sticker of it in the hallway right outside the copy room. It looks cool. It’s alliterative and easy to say. But I haven’t seen it anywhere else on campus. Maybe it’s coming, maybe I just am not looking in the right places, but I haven’t seen it enough.
It is certainly NOT evident on the district’s web site. Torrance has peppy people smiling, South has peppy people smiling, West has peppy people smiling. Even the groundbreakers are happy. All the photos are nice enough. And then there is North’s.
As Rod Serling would say, “Submitted for your approval.” Facts are facts and a picture is worth a 1000 words. Samuel L. Jackson asks what’s in your wallet; I ask the title of this post.