Enrollment is up for Mission Bay Cluster’s six schools – Mission Bay High, Barnard Mandarin Magnet Elementary, Crown Point Junior Music Academy, Pacific Beach Elementary, Pacific Beach Middle, and Kate Sessions – which is not the case overall in the San Diego Unified School District, whose enrollment is falling by 2 percent on average each year.

Current and past parents in the MB Cluster believe they know the reasons why they’ve held the line on attendance, contending that it is because of the quality – and diversity – of the educational experience being offered. And, in no small part, also because of MB Cluster parents’ lobbying efforts to ensure the right – and not the wrong – things got done to improve local schools.

“The MB Cluster is thriving because of decades of work towards a vision of outstanding academic, athletic, enrichment, and leadership opportunities for all students that attend the Pacific Beach public schools,” said MB Cluster parent Jennifer Tandy. “The tireless efforts of parents, administration, staff, students, and supportive community groups are the reason why the MB Cluster sees continued growth.”

Tandy cited one important example of how MB Cluster parents made a big difference. “The MB Cluster worked to support a unique joint-occupancy agreement with PB Middle and the YMCA, and we were able to accelerate the construction of the beautiful turf field and parking around PBMS,” she said.

MB Cluster parent Kim Schoettle pointed out the critical role parents played in saving MB Cluster schools. “At one time, multiple MB Cluster schools were threatened with closure,” Schoettle said. “Now, those same schools have received upgrades, including major renovations and even new buildings at Crown Point and PB Middle campuses.”

Maria Mikus gave kudos to fellow cluster parents for uniting to support common causes. “Marketing efforts were put together to showcase all the amazing programs in the Mission Bay Cluster, like Future Bucs Night,” Mikus said. “The goal was to get families on campus to enjoy ‘Friday Night Lights’ watching the football team. The event has grown over the years by adding a Future Bucs cheer camp. This created enthusiasm and familiarity with the high school so kids will want to come to MBHS. This event has been replicated by other high schools in the district due to its success.”

MB Cluster parent Lily Sun Higman cited the recruitment of Barnard Elementary, a Mandarin language magnet school, to the MB Cluster from Point Loma, as another cluster success story. “After we arrived in the MB Cluster, we started work on getting the Mandarin program into the middle and high schools,” she said. “We wanted to be the first K-12 program at San Diego Unified as well as San Diego. Most of those students came to PB Middle because they knew that this group of parents would work hard to make sure the K-12 program became a reality.”

Added Sun Higman: “We also worked very hard the past few decades on improving our academics here at the high school. We also believe in building community.”

The same is true of parental involvement in creating a successful rugby program at MBHS. “In 2019, when my son Jacob was a freshman, many high schools had rugby teams, but Mission Bay did not,” said MB Cluster parent Lisa Mandel. “Jacob said, ‘Come on mom, we need to make this happen.’ So that is what we did. He became the president and I became the manager.

“My job was to get a coach and get funding for us because we do not get any funding from the school. It was a lot of hard work to make it happen, and consistent effort each year to keep it happening year after year.”

MB CLUSTER IMPROVEMENTS

2004 – Friends of Pacific Beach Secondary Schools (FOPBSS) was formed to utilize resources from both the middle school and high school communities to strengthen advocacy and productivity.

2006 – Mission Bay High School introduced the International Baccalaureate Program.

2010 – The Mission Bay Cluster was formally formed in 2010 between the public schools in Pacific Beach. Bylaws were created, a governing body was elected and monthly meetings were instituted.

2011 – Ongoing school closure threats. Bayview Terrace and Crown Point Junior Music Academy were both targeted for closure. There was a discussion of combining PBMS and MBHS at one point. Parents fought to keep all six schools open in the cluster by inviting Barnard Elementary School to join the MB Cluster.