Good things come in small packages. And, for the students who
attend Panoche School in South San Benito County, small classrooms
as well.
Good things come in small packages. And, for the students who attend Panoche School in South San Benito County, small classrooms as well.
With only three students enrolled – not counting Pepper, the friendly school guard dog – one might assume that class can get a little boring. But Teacher/Principal Ottalie Davis is determined bring new experiences not only to her students, but also to those at other local rural schools.
“Right now we’re really focused on working together and pooling our resources,” Davis said. “There are lots of advantages to rural schools.”
A student body of three – first-grader Christopher Ulloa, third-grader Liz Bencomo and sixth-grader Dustin Borda – makes Panoche the smallest of the 23 schools in San Benito County, situated about 40 miles south of Hollister proper.
“This is a particularly small year,” Davis said. “Historically there have been between 10 and 20 students at any one time.”
Visiting the school on any given day feels more like spending time at somebody’s home than sitting in on class – which isn’t too far off base, as Davis’ on-campus house came with the teaching job.
“What more could I want? And how else would I be able to afford coming back to California?” she joked.
Students have regular old school desks, but they also have bean bags to stretch out for storytime or watching an educational film. They learn state curriculum standards, but also work together to build a dollhouse or paint a mural. They learn art and music from visiting instructors and make the more than 45-minute trek into Hollister once a week for physical education activities like gymnastics, rock climbing and dance at USA Sports Connection. And each student has his very own PC in the classroom for schoolwork.
“I like to be able to do something different with my kids, and I really try to take them outside of the classroom a lot,” Davis said. “One of the realities of a rural school is that they don’t get too many chances to interact with other kids, so I look for those opportunities.”
One of the reasons Davis is able to take advantage of those opportunities is a grant Panoche receives from the federal government almost every year, set aside specifically for small rural schools. Last year the school received $16,000 – which tends to last when spread among three students. The grants have allowed Panoche to acquire satellite Internet, a large touch-screen display that serves as chalkboard/TV screen/computer monitor, and several field trips – including one to Washington, D.C.
This year Davis plans on using those funds and collaborating with other rural schools in the area and staff from Pinnacle National Monument to create a wildlife habitat on campus. Plans include a small pond and possibly a “Heritage Garden,” or section of habitat populated only by plants native to California. Already the area surrounding the school is home to foxes, coyotes, hawks, raccoons, bobcats, owls and all manner of other wild creatures.
“We want this to sort of be a living science lesson, something the community can be involved in and that the kids will be proud of, as well as something that is educational,” Davis said. “We’d like to have students from all the other rural schools come and visit us for science lessons.”
But while Panoche’s size is what makes the school special, it may also lead to its demise. Rural schools typically need to have at least 12 students in order to receive funding from the state, and though smaller schools can get a waiver, Panoche’s is about to expire. Next year the state will have to decide whether to consolidate the school with another in the area such as Willow Grove, or let it continue.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen,” Davis said. “But some of the parents already drive more than 20 minutes to bring their kids here. It would be even longer if they had to go to Willow Grove or Jefferson.”
In the meantime, Davis is focused on making sure Panoche’s resources benefit other students in the rural school community.
“Sometimes I worry if what we’re doing here is a bit extravagant, but since we have the resources, we should be using them,” she said.
Davis is actively looking for volunteers to help plan, build and plant the wildlife habitat, or grad students or anyone with expertise in the area of ecology and sustainable habitats to serve as an adviser for a stipend. For more information call 628-3438.
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or ds****@fr***********.com
