How did Cupertino schools rise to the top?from Cupertino Courier How did Cupertino schools rise to the top? Then I learned that Harry Chow, a flower grower, chose Cupertino over Saratoga as a place to buy land because of the Cupertino schools--in 1957. Astounding. He'd read in the San Francisco Chronicle that the Cupertino Union School District was in the top five in the state. This reputation has been around a long, long time, which made my question even more intriguing. When our paper followed the process of naming the new middle school in Cupertino, the name Sam Lawson's seemed to have the biggest support and, in fact, emerged as the winner. The name meant little to me until I was talking last June with Wes Morse, a teacher at Cupertino High School who was in the process of writing a biography of Sam Lawson. Morse said Lawson had been a major force in Cupertino schools, and everyone Morse talked to, without exception, loved and raved about the man. When the new Sam H. Lawson Middle School opened last week to a celebration of the man, old timers came out of the Cupertino woodwork and from far away to tell stories of Lawson's kindness and support. According to Morse's biography, Lawson wasn't as concerned about a student getting As or Bs but that students do their best. His standards for behavior were high, but the students' desire to meet those standards came from their love of him. Lawson, who was hired at age 27 in 1948, rose quickly to become a district administrator. He brought in wonderful teachers and administrators; he started after school activities; he made everyone from disabled students to the classified staff and teachers feel important. Lawson helped start the city's Lions club; and he's credited with starting wrestling as a sport in the valley. He helped start the Cupertino Historical Society and more. He landscaped his backyard so youngsters could play sports there. Everyone was welcome. The personal stories are endless. Joe Camarda, who grew up in Cupertino and was a good friend of Lawson's, wanted to give me some idea of Lawson's spirit. Camarda told me that after Lawson had developed sports in the district schools, he wanted the students to go out to other schools to compete, but the school bus drivers--restricted by union contracts--could not drive them. So Lawson learned to drive a bus, earned his license and then drove the students himself. "He was a true humanitarian," Camarda says. And he explained: When a couple of members of the Lions Club became ill and frail and couldn't get to the meetings on their own. Lawson picked them up and took them to the meetings. And when one of the men had to use a wheelchair, Lawson had his van rigged to carry a wheelchair. Then when one of the men could no longer feed himself, Lawson brought the man to the meetings and hand-fed him. Sam Lawson died in 1999 at the age of 77, and still they tell the stories. I don't know for sure if Sam Lawson was the progenitor of this quality in Cupertino schools. He certainly was and maybe still is a major force. It could be that when this passionate educator came aboard in this valley of immigrants (at the time from Yugoslavia, Italy and France), the synergy between those who wanted their children to do well in America simply created a space for him to do his thing. And now with a new serge of immigrants who value education, his legacy continues to unfold. Sandy Sims is the editor of The Courier. Contact her at 408.200.1055 |
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BySandy Sims 
I've been intrigued with the fact that Cupertino schools are so well thought of. People even come from as far as India and China intent on living in the Cupertino district. At some point in the last 2 1/2 years that I've been The Courier's editor, I began to wonder just what propelled this district into such prominence. I figured this reputation must have started sometime in the 1980s. I'm not sure why I thought that. 