Registration now open for Summer Art Camp
The San Benito County Arts Council is now enrolling students in Summer Art Camp.
Art Camps take place at The Art Depot, 35 Fifth St., Suite D, located in the historic train depot in downtown Hollister.
The cost is $65 per student, per camp with a $10 sibling discount. All materials will be provided.
Camps run Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Ages 5-7 attend from 9:30-11am, with ages 8-11 attending from noon to 1:30pm.
The schedule is as follows:
• Week 1: Mosaic Camp, June 27-29
• Week 2: Paint Party Camp, July 5-7
• Week 3: Creating with Clay Camp, July 11-13
• Week 4: Cartooning & Illustration Camp, July 18-20
• Week 5: Paint Party Camp, July 25-27
The Arts Council will also be offering a single session Art Lab (ages 12-15) Wednesdays, 2:30-4pm. The cost for each single session Art Lab is $25 per student, per session.
For online registration or to view the full class schedule and descriptions, visit sanbenitoarts.org.
Single camp scholarships are available for qualifying San Benito County students. Email ka*@sa***********.org to inquire about a scholarship application.
For information about Summer Art Camp, contact the Arts Council at 831.636.2787 or ka*@sa***********.org.
Oriana Chorale plans spring concerts
The San Benito Oriana Chorale is preparing for their annual spring concerts, which are scheduled for 7:30pm June 2 and 3pm June 4 at Christ Fellowship Church, 2066 San Benito Street in Hollister.
The theme for this year’s spring concerts is “Reflections on Water.” All songs that will be performed are about water—rivers, oceans or rain, according to Chorale member Laurie Venturini.
The program was originally planned for spring 2020, but those concerts were canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Chorale reconvened for public indoor rehearsals and performances in the winter of 2022. “At the time we were developing this program we were in a nasty drought and thought a water theme would be like a rain dance for the earth. Now we have more water than ever. Still apropos,” Venturini said.
Traffic flagging on Highway 156
Construction on the Highway 156 Corridor Improvement Project continues with accelerated efforts to excavate the Union Road Hill, as well as plans to move about 120,000 cubic yards of material from that area and distribute it throughout areas west of the project location, according to Caltrans.
In order to distribute the earthen material, equipment will pass back and forth across Union Road, just south of Hwy. 156. Motorists will encounter a flagging operation at Union Road just south of Hwy. 156, which will be in effect 6:30am-5:30pm Monday through Saturday, says a press release from Caltrans. Travelers can expect brief delays while flaggers conduct intermittent traffic control when trucks need to travel across Union Road.
The flagging operation resumed on May 8 and will continue for the next several weeks. Updates will be provided as progress continues with excavation of the hillside.
Caltrans reminds motorists that San Juan Hollister Road remains closed to through traffic between Union Road and Fourth Street/Highway 156 Business Route for the duration of construction. The closure is necessary for construction related activities and for the safety of Caltrans crews. Alternate routes are advised.
The San Benito Route 156 Improvement Project will construct a four-lane expressway immediately south of the existing Hwy. 156 alignment. The 5.2-mile project will begin in San Juan Bautista at The Alameda and continue to just east of Hwy. 156 Business Route (Fourth Street) in Hollister.
During construction, access will be closed from Hwy. 156 to Mission Vineyard Road in San Juan Bautista. Also, travelers will not be able to access San Juan Hollister Road from Union Road, according to Caltrans.
Updates for the San Benito Route 156 Improvement Project can be found on the Transportation Updates page of the Council of San Benito County Governments at:
http://sanbenitocog.org/transportation-updates/
The contractor for this project is Teichert Construction of Sacramento. The project is expected to conclude in Summer 2025.
School District hiring for summer positions
The Hollister School District has a variety of openings for summer positions.
The district is looking to hire up to 40 people, said district Educational Services Director Colleen Myers. She mentioned such roles as activity leaders—who oversee small groups of students in activities that may include academics, physical education or paraprofessionals who are the site leaders—and summer school teachers.
For the Summer Day Camp positions, the district requires applicants to be at least 18 years old, pass a minimum competency assessment and be live scanned (fingerprinted and paid by the district). Compensation beyond the base pay is dependent on experience as well, Myers said.
Myers said she looks at these employment opportunities as pathways toward becoming permanent educators with the district.
“The purpose behind this is to build our capacity with qualified individuals interested in working with children, and potentially offering opportunities for community members to be employed with an agency that offers growth and development,” she said.
These classified positions will include five-hour daily shifts from June 14 to July 14 with no school June 19, July 3 and July 4. There are paid, mandatory on-site planning days June 12-13. Sites include Calaveras School, RO Hardin Elementary School, Sunnyslope School and Rancho San Justo Middle School.
Apply at www.edjoin.org. Anyone with questions can contact Marissa Valadez at mv******@he**.org or 831.636.6300, extension 343.
