Gilroy Unified School District officials are asking locals to
lend their time and expertise to the community by volunteering to
serve on the Christopher High School Steering Committee.
Gilroy – Gilroy Unified School District officials are asking locals to lend their time and expertise to the community by volunteering to serve on the Christopher High School Steering Committee. On the GUSD Web site Superintendent Edwin Diaz explains why it’s necessary for the district to have a group oversee the construction of the new high school.
“As you are probably aware, designing and building a second high school in Gilroy is a major effort that will affect the schooling of secondary students in Gilroy for years to come. The purpose of the steering committee is to provide community perspective for the overall program and facility design,” Diaz wrote.
The two-story high school will sit on a 40-acre plot of land in northwest Gilroy. In December, the GUSD board approved the hiring of Fremont-based architects Bunton Clifford and Associates, Inc.
Some board members said one of the main reasons they chose Bunton Clifford and Associates over the other companies was because of the architects experience building two-story schools.
Construction for the first phase of the school, which will house 900 students, is expected to cost $47 million and will be funded by Measure I, the $60 million bond approved by voters in 2002. The new high school will eventually cap out at 1,800 and will include athletic fields and a practice football field. Football games will be played at Gilroy High School.
Although Gilroy’s second high school namesake is Don Christopher, the local garlic producer actually donated 10 acres off of Miller Road and Santa Teresa Boulevard. The district is looking to sell that parcel of land.
Locals interested in serving on the Christopher High School Steering Committee can apply online at http://www.gusd.k12.ca.us/pdf/ApplicationFormCHS.pdf
Diaz anticipates that the district and the committee will meet to discuss Christopher High, which is scheduled to open the fall of 2009, four to five evenings during the next five months. The first meeting is Wednesday at 7pm in the GUSD board room, 7810 Arroyo Circle.
For more information contact Diaz at 848-7162.
