GILROY
– The Garlic Festival Association handed the school district a
check for $250,000. The money will be spent on the high school’s
new student center.
By Lori Stuenkel
GILROY – The Garlic Festival Association handed the school district a check for $250,000. The money will be spent on the high school’s new student center.
Gilroy Unified School District will honor the donation by incorporating garlic and Garlic Festival images in the design of the 10,000-square-foot center.
“We talk often about the 4,000 volunteers at the Garlic Festival each year, and a big chunk of those volunteers are Gilroy High School students, parents, staff, administrators and Gilroy Unified School District employees,” said John Zekanoski, this year’s Garlic Festival president and longtime association volunteer. “We feel it’s important to acknowledge their efforts and give back to that part of the community.”
Zekanoski presented Superintendent Edwin Diaz with the donation Thursday, joined by fellow volunteers Ric Heinzen and Jennifer Speno and association Executive Director Dick Nicholls.
“The donation by the Garlic Festival shows how community organizations and other entities help our school district and the importance of having community involvement in our schools,” said Charlie Van Meter, GUSD’s director of facilities planning and construction.
Farotte Construction of Gilroy began working on the student center project after classes ended in June and is expected to complete it by fall of 2005. The center, along with the new aquatics building, will cost $10 million.
“Within the building, there’s approximately a 4-foot glass area that will be etched with the Garlic Fest logo and the high school logo and backlighted and that’s how we’re recognizing their donation,” said Jan Jensen, GUSD’s construction manager in charge of summer projects at Gilroy High School.
Posters from Garlic Festivals past will be hung in the building, as well.
The student center will serve as a gathering place for students and faculty and will house student services, including counselors and the Associated Student Body office. It will be located where the “G” building stood until a couple weeks ago on the southwest end of the quad in the center of campus.
Jensen said most of the money will be used for the student center’s kitchen facility.
Gilroy High’s 2,800 students currently do not have a cafeteria or indoor eating area. On rainy days, students gather in classrooms or the gymnasium. The student center will have a seating area with room for 600 students and will be adjacent to a state-of-the-art kitchen. The building’s overhangs will provide covered space outdoors for another 400 students.
The student center will also have a staff room and offices for academic advisers.
