As we enter the holiday season, it is an appropriate time to offer thanks to our community— on campus and throughout the county—for its ongoing support of our efforts to make San Benito High School a modern, innovative and inclusive campus.
Particular thanks goes out to the voters, whose support of recent bond Measures G and U has provided resources to allow the district to modernize and construct classroom and athletic facilities that will benefit students for decades to come. From the addition of air conditioning in all classrooms to the construction of career technical education and visual and performing arts instructional facilities, San Benito High School now has cutting-edge classrooms that promote our mission of educating every student to their highest potential so they have the greatest range of options upon graduation.
Our state-of-the-art aquatics complex, stadium and softball complex continue their march toward completion, and our campus has never looked so good, thanks to the hardworking grounds, custodial and maintenance staffs whose painting, landscaping and cleaning work has added new life to our grounds.
With the school year not yet at the halfway point, we have already celebrated the weekday closure of Nash Road where it bisects campus to provide safe crossing for thousands of students, faculty and staff each day. We have already realized more than $100,000 in cost savings from energy-efficiency measures and will soon see even more as the newly installed campus solar panels help offset our costs.
In partnership with the City of Hollister, traffic calming measures such as speed bumps and reverse-angle parking have made the area around campus safer, and the city recently approved our request to make the corner of West and B streets into a four-way stop, making that intersection safer for students, parents and the community.
Working with the city, the County of San Benito and Sunnyslope County Water District, we held a grand opening for the new River Parkway west and south of campus. The road diverts traffic away from campus while allowing vehicles to still travel without significant delays during school days.
Thanks go out to the school faculty, administration and classified staff for their commitment to academic success, which has been evident with the recent release of test scores that show San Benito High School students are outperforming their state and national counterparts in multiple measures of progress.
The partnerships and collaboration extend to the Academic Task Force, which brings together representatives from campus, feeder schools and the community to discuss the Strategic Plan, which is used to drive planning and decision making.
As we enter this season of reflection and a focus on family, we want the community to know that our progress and success is in large part because of your support. The next year will bring even more progress, with the physical education/athletic facility completion, a new robotics and science classroom facility and a continued focus on making San Benito High School a great place to learn.
