School District
Vandercook Lake Public Schools Reviews
Rating 3 out of 5 10 reviews
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Vandercook Lake is a small, tight-knit community that has provided me with lifelong friendships and good relationships with teachers, but I would like to see some changes. For starters, we have no AP classes and I feel as though our honors classes are marginal. We have limited electives and our electives do not get much money to support them. I also feel as though we have a very small sports program due to some coaches and the youths lack of participation. A few of the teachers in the community do not push students to their full potential which makes it easy for kids to take the easy way out. The "good" teachers always seem to move schools or get laid-off.
As an alum of Vandercook Lake Public Schools, looking back on my high school experience is a rollercoaster. Vandercook is the place where I met lifelong friends, and created amazing bonds with teachers and administration in which I still talk to today. It is unfortunate that towards the end of my high school career Vandercook began going down hill. The amazing staff slowly started to disappear, along with the students. Clubs diminished, arts were no longer a priority, and the behavior of students got worse. I hope for a bright future for the incoming students.
Vandercook Lake has been a home to me since I was a freshman. I love going to a school where I can push myself and feel safe!
The school focuses more on sports than academics. They are way behind on academics and they are moving more towards online classes, which is not good for the students that need a teacher to teach them and help them understand the subject. They have no discipline there and everybody just acts how they want and it is all around a bad school.
Vandercook is a place you can go to if you want a good sense of community. The variety of accelerated academics are slim, although, making applying for college difficult.
The teachers care a lot about the students. They're always willing to stay after to help if you have questions on a homework assignment or need to retake a test. They understand that sometimes life gets in the way and are pretty lenient when it comes to falling behind because of personal reasons. I know of several that tutor after school as well and really take the time to help one on one. I wish there were more classes to take, though. We really just have the bare minimum and nothing too cool. I would have loved the possibility of a German class. There aren't many clubs either.
I was enrolled in Vandercook Lake Public Schools from kindergarten through 12th grade. I was very displeased with my education that I received from this school system. I felt that the education I received was far inferior than that of my peers at college. The faculty, minus a few exceptions, was extremely unprofessional and the pace of the school system was very slow. The teachers taught at the pace of the slowest students rather than pushing the smartest students past their boundaries. There were hardly any academic clubs to become members of. Extracurricular activities were nonexistent besides athletics. During my senior year, I was required to take a gym class as an elective because there were no alternatives that I could choose in place of it.
I enjoyed how small and close our school is. I didn't like how sometimes kids would get different grades depending on their relationship with the teacher. Also, there weren't many class options.
I like that it's a small school, which means there is a lot of one on one time with the teachers. However, there are problems in the way the school allows the students to be treated by others. There is currently a group of students and administration who are actively seeking ways to improve the school.