San Benito High School juniors Melissa Ruiz and Isabel Muñoz got a jumpstart on their college fund as the two Visual and Performing Arts students earned $550 scholarships through the California Teachers Association’s 2018-2019 César E. Chávez Memorial Education Awards Program.
Art teacher Tracey Torres’ students also received award certificates and earned high praise for their creative entrees.
Ruiz created what Torres called “an amazing artwork that demonstrates an understanding of the vision and guiding principles by which César E. Chávez lived his life.”
Munoz, the teacher noted, “eloquently spoke to the nature of how she and her Raza follow the same principles of César E. Chávez, through nonviolence, self determination, social justice for farmworkers, human and civil rights, teamwork and collaboration, empowerment to the disenfranchised, and innovation and education for all students of color.”
Muñoz’s winning essay and Ruiz’s winning artwork will be put on display in the CTA Headquarters Building in Burlingame. Additionally, CTA intends to publish an article about the award recipients in a future issue of “California Educator.”
“I am extremely proud of my two first-generation Mexican-American students who took the time and effort to document their history onto both written and pictorial storytelling,” Torres said.
Commencement June 7
San Benito High School’s 124th annual commencement ceremony will honor its Class of 2019 at 8:30am June 7 on the new multi-use fields of the 1220 Monterey St. campus.
Marguerite Maze Middle School’s eighth-grade promotion ceremony will be held at 3pm June 4.
Rancho San Justo Middle School’s eighth-grade promotion ceremony will be held June 5 at Bolado Park.
The Calaveras and Accelerated Achievement Academy eighth-grade promotion ceremony will be at 6pm June 7 at Marguerite Maze Middle School, 900 Meridian St.
County Office wins Leadership Award
The San Benito County Office of Education nabbed the Footsteps2Brilliance 2019 Leadership Award for its innovation in early literacy countywide.
As of February 2019, students in the county had read more than 100 million words on Footsteps2Brilliance, a bilingual early literacy mobile app, and the cornerstone of Superintendent Krystal Lomanto’s Building Bridges 2 Literacy Initiative.
Lomanto and the County Board of Education launched the Building Bridges 2 Early Literacy Initiative in November 2016.
“We are thrilled to have accomplished this milestone in the Building Bridges 2 Literacy initiative. It is a testament to the dedication of San Benito County teachers to the success of every student,” Lomanto said.
Summer leadership program offered to students
District 30 Assemblymember Robert Rivas will facilitate a Youth and Government Leadership Program June 25-July 18 for high school students looking to make a difference in their community.
In the program, students will learn more about state government and making a positive impact in the community. They will receive leadership development training and gain knowledge of the legislative process while meeting with community leaders and discovering community service opportunities.
For more information, contact the district office at (831) 759-8676 or Do***********@as*.gov.
Grand opening event set for new SBHS complex
San Benito High School staff will host an alumni event from 11am to 2pm Aug. 24 for the grand opening of the new stadium/aquatics center/varsity softball complex.
Visitors can enjoy facility tours, community booths, kid-friendly activities and food while interacting with staff and students and reconnecting with classmates.
SBHS, located at 1220 Monterey St., asks Baler alumni who plan to attend the event to RSVP to ch********@sb**.us.
