Is Valley a Christian school in name only?…read more
If you are thinking about placing your child here, I can give you some insight.
My wife and I were so green her freshman year. I could barely contain my excitement. Giving our daughter the gift of a private school education seemed out of reach, but Valley was accommodating. We made it happen, and that year was epic! My daughter played four sports and did really well in all of them. She finished with a 3.9 GPA, and we could not have been happier.
Then, prior to classes starting sophomore year, at the girls' volleyball tryouts, we encountered something that we had only heard about and, transparently, did not believe existed:
The Dutch Mafia!
A quick history lesson: Valley was founded in 1935, and its historical ties trace back to Dutch immigrant communities in the local area (like Bellflower and Cerritos) who established it as a Reformed Christian day school. Some of the families who founded the school are still there--hence the term "Dutch Mafia."
Now, back to the volleyball tryouts.
There are a lot of details that could tell the story, but to keep an already long review a bit shorter, I will say this: based on how they separated the girls, we knew who was going to make which team. To say it was NOT based on ability, skill, or team needs is an understatement.
I couldn't believe what was happening, but I should have known what was to come because of a foreshadowing incident during freshman season. Our starting libero was taken out in the middle of a game and had to give her jersey to the backup--not because she was playing badly or missing balls, but because the backup's mother complained to the head coach that her daughter wasn't getting playing time. That player's mother is a teacher at Valley, and our starter never went back into the game.
When the team lists were emailed out, we understood what was happening. Returning players and incoming freshmen who were related to staff and coaches were placed on Varsity, even though they frankly were not that good. Girls who had been in the program since freshman year were not even given roster spots because they were seniors, and Varsity was the only option for them.
I did the math after the lists came out: 44% of the available positions were given to freshman players. So, the incoming "Dutch" girls were so good that they took up almost half the roster spots across all three teams? Not likely.
There was also some controversy that ended up getting the Varsity head coach, Jeff Ornee, unfairly dismissed. I found out later that the loudest voice calling for his termination was the coach who took over sophomore year. She completely destroyed the program with team selections based on clear nepotism and favoritism. She is a teacher at the school, by the way, and did such a horrible job that she quit, leading to another teacher taking over. I had high hopes, but the current coach is even worse.
My daughter was placed on the frosh/soph team for her first two years and JV her junior year. She didn't make the Varsity team her senior year, and by now, you know why. By that time, she was completely burnt out on volleyball and having breakdowns, feeling like she wasn't good enough. Thankfully, she transitioned to an uncoveted sport (track & field) and no longer wanted to play volleyball for Valley or her club team.
Our story is uniquely ours, but I can tell you that it is not the only one, and by far not the worst. I have firsthand knowledge of others, but those stories are not mine to tell.
I would like to say that the teachers, security, and staff working behind the front desk at Valley Christian School were some of the sweetest and kindest people I've met. This review is not a reflection of them, their hard work, or their good hearts.
Valley has some awesome traditions (Christmas time is epic), and if you choose to send your child here, they will receive a top-notch education and awesome Christian experiences--as long as they don't play one of the coveted sports.
