News-Record.com

I sincerely hope Dudley's football team loses every game this year. Wait--I'm serious. Maybe then someone will step up for Dudley? I'm not talking on the ballfield, either. Sure, hurray for Grimsley--performing well in the classroom and athletics--as usual, but Dudley comes in at the bottom every year in academics. It's a disgrace and it's tolerated...why? I don't see Dudley's school board rep. speaking up for Dudley. Last I heard a few alumni were coming into the schools for a little stint. The bottom line is Dudley is producing a lot of low achievers. Take a look at the stats from the recently released AP data. Nearly 300 kids at Dudley sat for an "AP" test. I said SAT, meaning they were given the test and told to take it. Of those nearly 300 tests, only 32 (or was it 33) tests had a passing score. This is abysmal. Is this some kind of joke? The real question is: of those taking those AP tests, how many even passed the class in the first place? Are we administering expensive AP tests to kids that failed the class? Are we administering as many tests as possible just to make Newsweeks list? (that we all know means nothing).. I have a billion more questions but it really doesn't matter. What matters is Dudley--Guilford County Schools specifically--is failing these kids. They are NOT learning. Don't come back with your Joey Cheek stories...sure, some kids can manage to graduate from Dudley and actually learn and be a productive member of society. My concerns are for the MAJORITY that are not learning. Boy, this wouldn't be tolerated in High Point. There'd be a swift movement to bus some kids around. I'm fully aware of mission possible but I don't see how money in the pockets of a handful of teachers is going to put more williness to learn or more knowledge into the minds of the youngsters at Dudley. So unless a flood of teachers are banging on the doors to sign up for mission possible (and they are not)--it cannot have far-reaching effects. So my rationale: now that they are losing in athletics, maybe someone will open their eyes. For a long time now that's all they've had going for them. So for the sake of the young minds at Dudley, I wish for them a losing season--just so someone might notice what's NOT going on in the classroom.

If they end up with a losing record in football, don't you think it's possible that more focus would be put on developing a better football program and even less emphasis on academics?

Quest, you are absolutely right...although I don't know how less emphasis could be placed on an already un-emphasized area.. Maybe all we can expect out of Dudley is some good, illiterate athletes. Newsweek should come out with a ranking for that.

Allen, I only hope the Dudley Panthers take it easy on my Page Pirates in a couple of weeks! As for Grimsley, I'd like to know how many of the 18 players declared academically ineligible earlier this year were, in fact, ineligible last year (and were playing anyway). Is it true that Grimsley will soon change the name of their stadium to "The Transcript Bowl?"

Allen, I'd say that by losing, you won. No human being should quaff diet Mountain Dew.