The Never Ending Debate

Senior Eden Kreighbaum raves about her teacher and shows support to the private school system. 

“My math teacher is a freaking genius,” Kreighbaum said.

She attends not only a private high school, but an all-girls school named Saint Teresa Academy.

Her decision came from a visit in middle school to speak with Saint Teresa seniors. Seniors talked of the sisterhood that you felt while attending the school and although Kreighbaum says it was “cheesy” she truly feels it.

Another Saint Teresa’s student Carolyn Scheuler said her choice to attend a private school was inevitable. Both her older sisters went to catholic high schools and her mother also attended an all-girls catholic high school.

Even though they got there in different ways, both girls have never attended a public school but say the academics of an all-girls private school is a reason for attending. Scheuler also added that the teachers seem to be consistently passionate about their jobs.

 According to Saint Teresa’s Academy compliance of ACT data the class of 2012 had a test average composite score of 26. 40% of those scores were a 28 or higher.

“I think the advantages going to an all-girls school really builds,” said Kreighbaum. “It encourages leadership.”

The girls admit that going to an all-girls school is a top reason for remaining at the Academy, but do not discredit public schools.

“There are public schools that aren’t good, there are private schools that aren’t good, and there are public schools that are really good,” Said Kreighbaum. “Public versus Private is such a huge thing and is so varied on what district you’re in and if it is co-ed or single sex, it’s hard to say one is technically the better option.”

But, one of the turn off's for previous private school student Sharidan Kraljic was the lack of diversity in her private K-8 school, Prince of Peace.

Kraljic now attends Olathe South High School, saying public was the right way for her. Attending public school opened her up to different religions and more ethnicities.

In a Kansas Education Bug 2014 private school directory it shows that only 1,162 African American students enrolled in the 210 private schools in Kansas, and only 3,296 Hispanic students compared to a total 31,741 Caucasian students.

“There are other private schools more diverse because of location and that kind of thing…It’s not ethnically diverse but it is economically and socially diverse,” Eden Kreighbaum said.

With the lack of diversity for Sheridan and her family the private school system didn't provide the right academics for her brother’s needs and they seemed to neglect her social needs.

“At Prince of Peace you needed to be just about average, not too above and not below,” Kraljic said.

Her brother was in need of additional help that she says was never supplied.

“My parents talked with both the principal and her boss, they told my parents they would do something but they never did,” said Kraljic.

Her brother remained in the private school system for five years. Kraljic herself left the school because of bullying issues within the school.

“People got really mean…I knew I wasn't going to go to a catholic high school,” she said.

To add to her emotional controversy she was also disappointed with the lack of challenging classes that did not allow enhancement to her learning.

“I was able to just show up and ace the test with little effort,” she said.

             Saint Teresa Academy attempt to challenge their students by having graduation requirements with a total of 90 service hours at the same place, take religion every year, four English and math credits along with 3 social studies, and 2 world language. Students are also required a certain amount of elective credits.

These requirements are made to provide the girls with college readiness as opposed to the curriculum of a public school.

At the high school Kraljic attends the requirements are five units of English/applied communications, three social studies units, two life skills units and seven math/science/technology units along with six elective units

Both Kraljic’s high school and Saint Teresa’s provide AP classes and classes that can be taken for college credits.

And though the students gave very different opinions on the public versus private debate they all agreed on one thing that made the true difference, Money.

Tuition to attend Saint Teresa Academy is $11,175.00. With additional fees for registration, technology and book fees, and an athletic fee for each sport. Students can receive scholarships to help lessen the cost.

            Saint Teresa student Liby Hybe was sitting by during the discussion of public versus private.

To add her opinion Hybe said she and Mr. Thomas had a conversation referring their rival school that she thought went for all schools.

“We are a lot more similar than we’d like to think…” Hybe said. “At the end of the day we’re all the same. We’re all students, we’re all going out into the real world and preparing for that."