|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Mountain View Whisman school board members voted 4-0 on June 14 to name the new school on North Whisman Road after Jose Antonio Vargas, a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist and documentary filmmaker who grew up in Mountain View and attended Crittenden Middle School in the 1990s.
The decision came after a months-long process with several names in the running, spanning from former Mountain View school board member Gail Urban Moore to former President Barack Obama. Mountain View Whisman trustee Tamara Wilson suggested adding Jose Antonio Vargas to the list, which quickly became the favorite. The newly named Jose Antonio Vargas Elementary began construction earlier this year and is set to open in fall 2019.
In a social media post about the naming on June 15, Vargas said he “never imagined or wished or dreamt of this.”
“Jose Antonio Vargas Elementary is dedicated to all undocumented students and their parents and families,” he said. “We are here. We are an intrinsic part of every community.”
After graduating from Mountain View High School, Vargas launched a prominent career as a journalist and received a Pulitzer prize as a member of the Washington Post team that covered the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting. He outed himself as an undocumented immigrant in 2011, describing how his family transported him to California in 1993 to live with his grandparents in Mountain View. He has since launched a nonprofit, Define American, aimed at immigrant rights and using storytelling as a means to “reshape” the way the U.S. views immigration.
Sharing his story growing up as an undocumented immigrant in an article for the New York Times, Vargas described Mountain View High School as a “second home” where he had an active role as a student trustee on the school board and worked as co-editor for the student newspaper, The Oracle. He confided the truth about his immigration status to his choir instructor, Jill Denny, during his junior year of high school when he revealed he couldn’t get a passport for a planned performance in Japan, and she was quick to accommodate his situation and move the trip to Hawaii.
Denny told the Voice that Vargas was a great student who has since taken a selfless approach to his fame, using it as as an opportunity to advocate on behalf of others when he had the chance to bask in the limelight. She said naming a school after Vargas is an opportunity to show that Mountain View is a welcoming community that values all students regardless of background.
“He represents a lot of our students in the district — hardworking, dedicated, kind people who add diversity to our population, which is important and treasured,” Denny said in an email. “It doesn’t matter where you come from, it only matters that you are here in our community and we welcome you.”
Vargas heaped praise on his mentors while growing up in Mountain View, but it was clear he was resourceful, inquisitive and on the path to success with just a little bit of guidance, said Pat Hyland, former Mountain View High School principal and board member for Define American.
“His gregarious, outgoing personality is attractive to folks. If he asks you a question you can’t help but answer,” she said. “As a life navigator he’s exceptional, I wish I was as informed as he was at 16 as I am at 60.”
Although the board was quick to make the decision, Hyland said naming a school after Vargas is bound to stir up some controversy and could lead to more pressure on Vargas himself — anytime his name comes up it’s bound to draw scrutiny. But she hailed the decision as courageous and innovative, similar to Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf sounding the alarm when federal immigration officials were preparing to do a sweep in the Bay Area.
The only holdout on the school board was trustee Greg Coladonato, who abstained from the vote at the June 14 meeting. During a previous discussion last month, Coladonato brought up concerns that naming a school after someone who is alive may put the school’s community in an awkward situation if Vargas does anything objectionable.
The runner-up names for the new school will be used to name other facilities throughout the district. The preschool sites operated by the district will be named after former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, while the new boardroom on San Pierre Way will be named the Gail Urban Moore Leadership Center.
A purely political move by the school board members who voted in favor. They were elected to focus on the schools and student learning and not this type of circus. These board members clearly just want to be featured on the national news and to get their 15 minutes of fame with some air time. As such this type of thing could very well come back to haunt the district given the negative attention it might attract thereby perhaps making the school a target of some nut job. Very poor judgement and definitely not thinking about the welfare and safety of the children. Yeah it is so worth taking such a chance by the radical politicizing of the name of the school.
As a long time resident of Mountain View and a parent of children that attended school here. This is not a good choice for our community. This board serves the community not their political liberal agenda. Seems like every move this board makes is controversial.
Mountain View never ceases to amaze me. The school board couldn’t come up with even one local (legal) resident worthy of honoring other than an illegal immigrant. I hope he has his papers in order … he’s on ICE’s radar now. This is clearly a political stunt.
My my my…don’t we have quite the reaction here.
Never mind that Vargas has accomplished more in his life that any of the commenters would ever hope to do. But I guess if you don’t have anything to be proud of, you end up hating on other people…
Super liberal district that continues to disservice the MVWSD’s students. Shame on each and everyone one of the board members for their continuous lack of good judgement.
Hey Ann — ever consider moving to Texas? LOTS of people there who think like you do. They also happen to be not very smart…
@look at all the haters.
Seems like your a hater. As far a where I choose to live,it’s none of your business.
Nice try, “Anne.” Guess what? I bet you’re not even a resident of Mountain View. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if you happened to be a bought-and-paid-for troll, sent here to stir things up.
You have no idea about who Jose Antonio Vargas is; you have no idea about his background; all you have is the standard alt-right rhetoric that trolls like you spew out on discussion boards like this.
Quite frankly, “Anne,” Vargas is a far better person that you will EVER be.
So said the jacket worn by First “Lady” Melania Trump to her public relations appearance near the southern border this morning in Texas. What does it mean? Her part-time husband explained that it involved FAKE NEWS in the press or blue cheese on the moon. I already forget which.
@look at all the
I’ve been a MV residence sine the 1950’s. I’ve been following this kids story since he was at MVHS. You shouldn’ make assumptions.
As far as my name, it’s Ann.
Only hater here is you..
“I’ve been a MV residence sine the 1950’s. I’ve been following this kids story since he was at MVHS. You shouldn’ make assumptions.”
BULL.
You’re just another hired troll, posting alt-right propaganda. And you know NOTHING about Jose Antonio Vargas. NOTHING.
No rubles for you, Ann/Anne/Sergei.
Oh look — Greg David, the original hater, is here.
Still overdosing on Breitbart and Alex Jones, sport?
Unbelievable. Why does the board feel the need to be so divisive, at a time when we need more unity? Such a distraction to the kids, which should be their primary focus. Recall the board!
Even Mikhail Gorbachev would be a better name for the school, at least he ended the communist regime in the old USSR.
Down with all communist/socialists, since they stand for everything that is against the American way.
He’s already stumbling as a shiny example to name a school after.
http://padailypost.com/2018/06/21/new-school-namesake-criticized-for-tweet-some-found-to-be-misleading/
Instead of (deliberately or inadvertently) making a controversial political statement that is sure to invite disagreement, I would have liked the trustees to consider a more benign historic name or a place. Ohlone, Tamyen, Francisco Estrada, Borregas, Mayfield or even Rengstorff would have been worthy of consideration. Even plain old California Street School would be perfectly adequate. In this situation, less might be better.
I agreed with Christopher Chiang’s “Letter To The Editor” published in this weeks Mountain View Voice & with Coladonato. We need to unite the United States not divide with a controversial choice. Disappointed.
@reader
I agree, anyone of your suggestions would be appropriate.. someone had suggested a Slater school principal. Also a good choice.
Oh, sorry I was thinking of the Kohl’s corner under consideration by LASD.
Why did the district rule out place names? Whisman Road School? Not inspirational enough, sheesh. Why did the board not choose Loya or Hopper that many commentators favored?
Another dumb MVWSD decision. Glad to be done with that district.
It’s extremely unfortunate that the MVW school board decided to name a school after an illegal alien. Not only is his presence in our country illegal, but he has broken multiple laws while residing in our country. He has fraudulently applied for driver’s licenses in several states and lied to the federal government by claiming to be a citizen on his federal I-9 employment eligibility forms. See this New York Times article https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/magazine/my-life-as-an-undocumented-immigrant.html?pagewanted=all where he admits to these crimes.
Vargas’ worst offense is his attempting to redefine who Americans are. To Vargas, an American is “someone who works really hard, someone who is proud to be in this country and wants to contribute to it.” Wrong! Americans are settlers and pioneers who tamed the wilds of our country and built the greatest civilization in history. Vargas is a Fake American who wants us to open the floodgates to other Fake Americans, who will cause the ruin of our glorious country.
When Vargas is tried for his crimes, imprisoned and eventually deported back to his home country, the MVW school board will look even sillier than they do now for naming the school after a criminal. Hopefully we’ll be rid of the idiots on the board well before then.
Is it too late to consider KERMIT THE FROG? Now there’s a role model.
I wish I could meet you for coffee to explain all the ways you are misreading our nation’s history. Our nation has always been a history of immigrants. There was no federal designation of legal or illegal for America’s the first century. It was the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 that first started that process, even then, non-Asians continued to become American largely by paying for passage and being healthy. In many states, one didn’t even have to be a citizen to vote in elections until the 1920s.
America has been a beacon to anyone who wants to work hard and believes in freedom. While Mr. Vargas may be too young, too political, and practically too similar to nearby existing Vargas elem. schools, anyone who follows Mr. Vargas’s work knows he works hard and believes in freedom, and is a perfect definition of what it means to be American.
I know many documented (legal) Americans who work less hard, seek to take away other people’s freedoms, and are less American than many undocumented Americans that I know.
Unfortunately these trolls that call for Vargas’s deportation are thinly veiled white supremacists. They should be the ones that are deported!
I just saw Mr. Vargas on Cable political TV. As I understood him, Mr. Vargas was claiming that persons who enter the USA illegally are just fellow humans entitled to be here. No one should be prosecuted for entering illegally, MR. Vargas seems to say. But let Mr. Vargas speak for himself: he can post his proposed law RIGHT HERE. What should be done, Mr. Vargas, when 100 million immigrants from the Americas arrive at the southern border? And what about the other 6 billion from around the world standing in line? Go ahead POST.
Dear Mountain View Whisman School Board,
We are parents of two young children in Mountain View, one entering 3rd grade
and the other still in preschool. My wife and I are politically conservative, and we are working to instill in our kids respect for authority figures such as school teachers, policemen, and firemen, as well as respect for the law. To date we have not felt comfortable enrolling our kids in the Mountain View Whisman school district. One reason is that we are concerned our political views, be they right, wrong, or other, would not be respected in the school district. The choice to name the new school after Jose Antonio Vargas quite frankly underscores our concerns.
Would one of you be available to meet and discuss our concerns? If so could you
please provide contact information? We would like to understand whether Mountain View Whisman is an inclusive environment for families who do not hold progressive
political views.
Respectfully,
Ron
Ron really. None of the gang of 4 on the school board will meet with you. But I want to make sure Mr. Jose Antonio Vargas sees my post about providing us with HIS PLAN FOR IMMIGRATION TO THE USA. We are waiting. Anything? Got a plan? Got a clue? Or is this all just GLOBALIST RHETORIC. The kind of crap that backfired in 2016 and got someone as awful as Donald Trump in the White House.
Good of trustee Ellen Wheeler to post. Let us know Ron if you get a meeting with her and how it goes. Meanwhile, if trustee Wheeler could call Mr. Vargas and get him to post the immigration rules he is advocating, progress will have been made. Does Mr. Vargas want borders at all? If so, on what bases should immigrants be admitted – temporarily or permanently? Don’t make us rename Slater after the Fifth Amendment right to remain silent.
@Ellen Wheeler,
Thank you very much for your response. I will send an email to you and the board
and see if we can find a good time to meet in the next few weeks.
Regards,
Ron
Vargas aside, save your kids from the low education (check great schools) and bullying (personal experience) and huge education gaps (check anywhere) you’ll find in this district. We got out after 5 years and could NOT be happier! LASD is 100x stronger.
In my 40 adult years in Mountain View, this is the worst idea that MVWSD has ever come up with.
Admiral Grace Hopper would be a far better choice. She is a military hero and a woman scientist and technologist who achieved greatness through intellect and achievement. Surely, she could unite us.
As a new resident to Whisman with 2 little girls, this directly affects us. There is another Vargas elementary, just a half mile down the road in Sunnyvale, with very poor ratings (5/10 overall, 4/10 academically). The confusion between the two schools should have been reason enough to not name it Vargas.
With this poor name choice and all the changing principals, this resident s beginning to question the basic competency of our School Board and its Superintindent….
Really, though, I will be okay with Jose Antonio Vargas if he posts here his plan for the immigration of billions of abused persons to America or what limits he proposes.
Steve Jobs went to elementary school in Mountain View. Would have been a no-brainer to name the elementary school after Jobs.
@Ron a resident of Blossom Valley
Glad to hear from you Ron, I don’t actually have Conservative friends, (or at least not openly conservative friends anyway) so I would be happy to meet with you to discuss issues you are interested in. I have been pretty highly active in the MVWSD for the past 5 years and you will find it easy to pick a time we can meet. I have often met one to one with almost all of our Board members on multiple occasions, just yesterday in fact.
“Dear Mountain View Whisman School Board,…My wife and I are politically conservative,…To date we have not felt comfortable enrolling our kids in the Mountain View Whisman school district. One reason is that we are concerned our political views, be they right, wrong, or other, would not be respected in the school district….”
What I can tell you is that while the Trustees and District Staff mostly do lean Liberal/Progressive, it is still possible to have reasonable discussions about what you feel is best for your child and your values.
I can also tell you that while many of my values are liberal (in the original meaning of the term) and I have always been a registered Democrat, I think you will find that we have plenty of common ground to discuss and I can reasonably discuss various Conservative issues as well.
“…Would one of you be available to meet and discuss our concerns? If so could you please provide contact information? We would like to understand whether Mountain View Whisman is an inclusive environment for families who do not hold progressive political views.”
So, Ron, just ask Ellen Wheeler to forward my contact to you and we can get together to talk. I think as a 5 year and highly involved parent and served on committees in the MVWSD, I think you could find my perspective of interest.
Respectfully,
Ron
Hopefully I will hear from you soon.
I tried to renew my FM 3 (work visa)in Mexico last month, no go, just more delays…. I actually admire Mexico’s immigration policy. If you get caught working without papers, you get fined and/or deported.
Most the folks that want open borders have never had experience working as a foreigner in a place like Mexico, because if you had this experience, your viewpoint about open borders would drastically change.
The only people against the name are racists. It’s that simple. And no, it’s not name-calling. Racism is real and it is descriptive of what is going on in this discussion.
Racism is not limited to just white folks. I learned all about racism as a young naïve person working in Mexico… One of the most racist countries in the world.
Naming the school after Mr. Vargas is fine. Just follow protocol. Steve Jobs would follow protocal, and is more deserving.
How is it racist to support naming the school after any of the other suggestions: President Obama and Grace Hopper.
Former Slater principal and nun Maria Loya, who should have been a finalist, was a daughter of migrant workers and advocated for Latino rights.
Responses for and against all prove this naming is unnecessarily devisive.
For procedural protocal when naming schools and/or public places, the consensus on the matter is that the person it is named after must be deceased. The Board knew about the protocol, discussed it, and still disregarded it. The decision on naming the school is completely biased and should be challenged. This is not about race, this is about what is right.
Notice the defensive comments when getting called out. Racism is rampant in the Republican Party and is truly vile aspect of America.
The name is approved. Get over it.
@ what is……..
Whenever someone disagrees with your political point of view, they are immediately called a racist. Thanks for getting an idiot like Trump voted into office. All the Progressive Democrats have no one to blame but themselves. Trump got elected get over it.
@ what is…..
The post by Poor Judgement revieved 303 likes so far
The Post by Ann received 161 likes so far
The post by RoxieK received 244 likes so far
So what you are telling us is that all those folks that pressed the “like” button are racists?
Wow, with folks like you thinking like that, Trump will probably get another four more years.
No, the large number of likes come from trolls that run scripts to add fake likes to the town square postings. It is similar to how Trump stole the election by working with the Russians.
Vargas Elementary is a great name. It might offend the alt-right facists, but that’s just life.
Actually there are a lot of people who greatly admire Jose Antonio Vargas and are not racist in any way, but just feel it is not appropriate to name a school after someone who is still alive.
Most that admire Vargas have no problem with his name going on our school. It’s only a few right wingers that strongly object.
“Actually there are a lot of people who greatly admire Jose Antonio Vargas and are not racist in any way, but just feel it is not appropriate to name a school after someone who is still alive.”
EXACTLY. I saw Mr. Vargas speak at MVHS a few years ago and have nothing but respect for him.
His race is irrelevant. I think it’s generally not a good idea to name a school after someone who is living.
It is also, in our current political climate, not a good idea to name a school after someone who, regardless of country of origin and through no fault of his own, is living in the US without legal permission to do so. I have no problem with undocumented immigrants. In the current political climate it’s asking for pushback to name a school after him, especially when there are numerous other suitable choices for naming a school.
Hey Greg, how did the “silent majority” work out when you ran for city council? Lot of votes for you?
Let’s all be real. The elderly shut-ins that like and comment on these articles, angry about non-white people getting things named after them, are not really any sort of political force in Mountain View. The likes come from them, and a few right-wingers that run a silly script to add a bunch of likes. No conspiracy, just people who don’t have anything better to do.
Every finalists was either a minority or a women or both. Jose Antonio Vargas is Asian American. President Obama and Rear Admiral Grace Hopper are African American. Former Slater Principal Maria Loya is Latina, daughter of migrant workers. Inaccurate to lump all those who supported the other finalists as racists.
Any name that polarizes a community was the wrong choice.
Uh, you might want to check your info on Grace Hopper. I’m sure the majority of those opposed to Vargas would be so happy with Obama, given his long ties to the school district.
Pointing to “polarization” just means that bigots get to make a big enough stink and hold a veto. Fortunately, there aren’t enough of you to make a difference.
You’re right about correcting my mistake on Rear Admiral Grace Hopper’s heritage. Thank you.
I copied this off Jose Wikipedia bio:
“On June 18, 2018, Vargas received criticism for circulating an image of a little boy crying behind a fence on Twitter while using the caption “This is what happens when a government believes people are ‘illegal.’ Kids in cages.” It garnered more than 35,000 likes and 24,000 retweets, including by Star Wars actor Mark Hamill (Hamill later deleted his post). It was later discovered that Vargas sourced the image from a private Facebook account and the image itself was taken out of context, as the photo was actually from a staged protest against US President Trump’s immigration policy in Dallas, Texas, on June 10, 2018. Additionally, the child was behind the make-shift fencing for approximately 30 seconds before he started crying and the mother removed him. Vargas received many calls to remove the photo from Twitter, including from actor Misha Collins who said Vargas was guilty of “the same misinformation as Trump and you are giving fodder to the other side.” Vargas, however, stood by his original tweets.” [55][56][57]. And the board still named the school after him?!
This is the exact reason why you do not name a public place after someone that is still alive.
@Fake News,
Which part of that is supposed to be disqualifying for having something named after him? Tell us how you feel about the child detention camps, while you’re at it.
Read the article: The child was STAGED!!!!
Even Mark Hamill deleted his post!!
“Snopes debunked the photo of the child in the cage. The boy had not been detained by ICE, nor had it resurfaced from 2014 during the “Obama-era” as some internet commenters had claimed.
PolitiFact also interviewed the original photographer, Leroy Peña, who said in an interview that the boy had spotted his mother outside the space and began crying and that he was only in the cage for about 30 seconds.”
“And despite calls to Vargas to remove the photo from Twitter, like from actor Misha Collins who said Vargas was guilty of “the same misinformation as Trump and you are giving fodder to the other side,” Vargas stands by his original tweets.”
@Fake News,
You didn’t really answer either question, so I’ll ask again: which part of that is supposed to be disqualifying for having something named after him? Tell us how you feel about the child detention camps, while you’re at it.
Vargas knowingly posted a fake pic of a child behind bars.That alone should disqualify him from the school being named after him. However this happened after the board made the decision. This is why there is a protocol when ñaming public places. Primarily, the person needs to be deceased before the place is named. Just in case said person does not do anything to cause embarrassement to said establishment.
Wait, so posting a picture from a protest is grounds for not having anything named after you? Where is this protocol you’re talking about? Why didn’t you address how you feel about the child internment camps being run?
You know what is ironic? is my friend from Mexico City texted me about the article about Vargas and his Fake Tweets.:)
It’s sad that the racists in this town don’t get a clue and move away.
@ Sad
I could not agree with you more.
Folks should look in the mirror.
Thank you, @Fake, for thinking you’re clever with your “irony” while demonstrating just how racist you are. I’ll give you a hint, Vargas isn’t Mexican. It’s so great when people like you can’t help but tell us how you really feel.
Yet, you still can’t seem to answer my questions. Why is that?
I know that his folks sent him here when he was 12 from the Philippines. I actually agree with DACA. However the issue here is naming of a school. It does not follow protocol.
And thanks for posting, now most folks out there know that you have a lot in common with Trump. Thanks for dividing up the nation. You folks that call everyone else racists, need to look in the mirror. Think about that next time you throw that vile word around.
BTW my friend in D.F. ( Mexicico City) commented how we are such a wimpy nation. He told me that if any foreigner participates in politics/ and or has disparaging remarks towords it’s government is automatic grounds for deportation from Mexico.
Walk us all through the thought process where your confusing the Philippines with Mexico makes me a racist. That logic doesn’t really work out. Why do you keep bringing up Mexico as if it’s relevant to this case?
You keep mentioning “protocol” but haven’t actually pointed to one. Where is it, aside from being something you made up?
Didn’t you vote for Trump? Or do you just really like taking on his verbal tics?
@Lol the Troll
It’s been fun , but the adults need to go to sleep to get up to go to work.. Someone has to pay taxes!
Hm, definitely a Trump voter: inability to use critical thinking or reasoning, weak attempts at insults, frantic fleeing when dealing with facts. Why is it that even his own voters point to him as a horrible tragedy that’s befallen our nation?
Yet again, it’s wonderful that you can’t quite keep a lid on the racism, so you end up undermining your “I’m just so deeply concerned about the protocol” angle. Best way to deal with folks like you is to just let you talk.
Nice try Lol the Troll. Sorry to burst your racist bubble, no Trump vote here, have not liked that guy for 25 years. Keep up the good work, folks like yourself are managing to upset everyone in the middle and beyond.
We can all agree, the person (hint: you) that confuses people from the Philippines with people from Mexico is the racist here. But, please, walk me through the logic that would lead you to call me racist.
I’m glad the board named the school for Vargas. Way to go!
Shortsighted, big mistake!! Many other outstanding suggestions were put forth but ignored. Big, big mistake!!
@ron – Our MVWSD school board members meet with people who ask to meet with us all the time. There are 2 ways to contact us: [1] Email to all of us at trustees@mvwsd.org; [2] Email to us individually using 1st initial, last name@mvwsd.org. For example, my school district email address is ewheeler@mvwsd.org. I’m happy to meet with you and I think all of the other trustees would be happy to meet with you, too.
Ellen Wheeler, trustee, MVWSD
@Ron – I’ve responded to the email that you sent to me. Thanks.
Regards, Ellen
It would have been impressive if the Board had named the school after a woman. There are so many accomplished and deserving women yet they are historically ignored and thus unknown to many.
If you ever needed convincing that the left has gone off the rails, just read the comment above that explains the hundreds of “likes” for this being a terrible idea on Russian trolls. Seriously? Like someone would go to the trouble of trolling the MV-Voice from Russia? That’s pure derangement.
It would be interesting if this decision were on the November ballot. (Ridiculous I know) But, it would show that the moderate left majority we have in Mountain View would solidly defeat such a controversial and divisive naming of this school.
If only the far left would realize that their extreme rhetoric is leading the silent majority further to the right…. wait… no… carry on…..