Posted by Hal Bailey, a resident of another community, on Nov 4, 2007 at 7:10 am

Dear Dolores,

Why does Monte Vista High School get a many times larger share of media coverage? Known as Mystic Vomit High School by its Alamo neighbors, is it the constant SPIN coming from the district, administration, parents and students that produces such unbalanced coverage?

SRVHS just became co-champions of their league in Football. That was covered in a back page story in the SRV Times and nothing was noted by The Danville Weekly as equal news to the success of MVHS ladies volleyball.

It would be very nice to have your excellent editorial abilities and skilled writing provide a real answer to such unbalanced coverage for MVHS.

Hal

Posted by Dolores Fox Ciardelli, a resident of the Danville neighborhood, on Nov 4, 2007 at 8:59 am

Thanks for the information, and congratulations to the SRV football team. Our sports coverage indeed could be better, I'm the first to admit. I rely on photographer Chris Scott, who goes to as many games as he can, as well as parents to send in information.

Do you - or anyone - know of a sports enthusiast who would like to provide up-to-date scores and information about high school sports? I'd love to work with someone who could continually e-mail or call me with information to put online and in print.

And finally, we do not prefer one high school over the other. I believe if you tracked our online and print editions you would find the high schools get equal coverage. SRV actually may get more since that is where our teen columnist goes.

Dolores, editor

Posted by Hal Bailey, a resident of another community, on Nov 5, 2007 at 7:59 am

Dolores,

Each school has an Athletics Boosters group and have, in the past, sent releases of game results to editors. Also, each school has an Athletics Director that has the role of public information.

Terry Koehne, PR Director for SRVUSD would be the source for getting contact to those sources.

Hal

Posted by Resident, a resident of the Danville neighborhood, on Nov 5, 2007 at 2:51 pm

Hal,

I just have a question. Why do you keep referring Monte Vista High School as "Mystic Vomit High School"?

Posted by Hal Bailey, a resident of another community, on Nov 6, 2007 at 4:16 pm

Thank you for your question,

Monte Vista High School, during all the public hearings related to the development of homes and the building of the parking lot, provided many, many responses to Alamo neighborhoods surrounding the school. One neighbor, in a frustrated response to all the SPIN that pours from the administration, teachers, parents and students, created the description Mystic Vomit to identify the SPIN. You see, the classic "bad neighbor" excuse was used by Monte Vista, "We were here first" as if that gives parents and students the right to be BAD NEIGBORS.

In subsequent humor related to the continuing justification of the parking lot by MVHS parents and students, Alamo neighborhoods adopted the name as their name for the high school. Volumes of e-mail in neighborhood e-chains used the term Mystic Vomit in objection to the expansion of the school.

There appears to be a natural preference for Monte Vista High School in comparison to other high schools in the district, but, for the most part, that is only true for parking. Alamo's majority continues to use the term in its opposition to MVHS expansion and continues to share humor about the continuing SPIN that flows into the Alamo community.

The humor has more content. The Stang's in e-chains are named after Arnold Stang, the famous comedian and Monte Vista is soon to be home to the Stang Center for the Comedic Arts located right next to the parking lot.

As the SPIN dies down from time to time, the humor dissappears, and that should be the answer to your question.

Thanks for asking,

Hal

Posted by Melinda Jenkins, a resident of another community, on Nov 6, 2007 at 4:28 pm

Hal, you are far too kind,

Monte Vista, as a neighbor, is an ugly monster that deserves to be laughed at for the selfishness of administration, parents and students. The school has been a willful invader of neighborhoods and abusive in their attitudes.

No kindness has been earned and no explanation is deserved. Save your words for those that wish to be good neighbors.

Linda

Posted as a courtesy

Posted by Vince Kreigher, a resident of another community, on Nov 6, 2007 at 5:12 pm

Mystic Vomit is not a new term, Alamo!

Going back to the late '80's, the term was created on campus by parents that were not accepted within the inner circle that controlled the PTSA and on-campus activities. My wife, in the mid'90's, used the term repeatedly to laugh at the PTSA leadership.

Thanks for some interesting reading while I wait for my plane in Burbank. Monte Vista has always been SPIN with a real undercurrent of great students that deserved less parent ego-involvement.

Vince

CDSI Research Fellowship

Posted by Erica, a member of the Monte Vista High School community, on Nov 7, 2007 at 1:40 pm

Posted with permission of the author:

Dear Mr. Bailey,

My mother graduated from Monte Vista in the late 1980's. She said a newspaper columnist used Mystic Vomit as a term in his sports column. Do you recall that writer?

Erica

**Sorry, Erica, I only heard the term used by MVHS neighbors in the past 2 years**