Chaminade High School

During each of the four funerals she attended in 1999, Julie La Belle had a recurring thought: "I can't believe I'm sitting at a service for a teenager." La Belle was a youth minister brought to Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., to counsel students in the aftermath of the shootings there. Initially, there was shock and disbelief that hate and violence could occur at such a nice school in such a nice suburb. It is years later, but La Belle hasn't forgotten the lesson.

With salaries and bonuses for college and professional football coaches soaring to $1 million and above, why shouldn't a high school football coach earn $100,000? The issue has received attention in the San Fernando Valley since rumors spread last winter that West Hills Chaminade was willing to pay $100,000 for its new football coach. Ben McEnroe, the 32-year-old first-year coach for the Eagles, insists his salary isn't close to that figure. "I laugh at it," he said.