The Hollister School District Board of Trustees has requested a
report on the origins of the name of one of its elementary schools,
after a teacher at the school raised concerns about the impact of
the name on students at the school.
Hollister – The Hollister School District Board of Trustees has requested a report on the origins of the name of one of its elementary schools, after a teacher at the school raised concerns about the impact of the name on students at the school.
Calaveras Elementary School Teacher Jose Anaya told board members that while the name of his school did derive from the name of a nearby geologic fault, it also means “skulls” in Spanish.
“The name ‘Calaveras’ does nothing but inspire fear in many of our Hispanic students,” Anaya told board members.
After the duel meaning of the name was brought to their attention, the board asked Superintendent Ron Crates to prepare a report on the issue for their next meeting.
About 85 percent of the school’s students are Hispanic or Latino, according to 2004-2005 enrollment statistics released by the California Department of Education.
Anaya, who believes the name has a negative connotation, urged the board to consider changing it and asked that the issue be itemized on the agenda for the next board meeting.
According to Anaya, many of the school’s students believe the school was named for a nearby cemetery. When he asked students why they thought the school was named “Calaveras,” one fourth grader said “it was a cemetery.” A third grader guessed that the people who named the school “like Halloween.”
The report, to be presented on Nov. 15, will be informational and will not require action to be taken by board members, Board of Trustees President Margie Barrios said.
“I don’t think the thought process is headed toward changing the name,” she said. “At this point we just want a little more information so that the community can be informed.”
Fluent in Spanish, Barrios said she knew what the word “calaveras” meant, but had never given it much thought because she knew the school was named after the Calaveras fault.
The Calaveras fault merges with the Hayward fault and San Andreas fault just north of the city, according to the United States Geological Survey. The school was named in 1984, the same year as the 6.4 magnitude Morgan Hill earthquake. Hollister’s schools are usually named by the board, with input from a committee of parents, teachers and community members, Barrios said.
Calaveras Elementary School Principal Christine White believes a name change could be beneficial for the school’s 450 students and their parents.
“I’m open to the idea and most of the teachers are open to the idea as well,” she said. “Changing the name could have a positive impact on students and the community.”
Getting rid of the “Calaveras” name would need to be a community effort, White said. However, White believes the cost of any change must be carefully evaluated before the district and the school decides to take action.
“You don’t really think of the fiscal impact,” she said. “We’d have to change the sign, all of our letterhead and talk with the Department of Education.”
The board will look at both the origin of the name and the financial impact changing it would have on the district on Nov. 15, Barrios said.
