To the delight of Principal James Maxwell, Gilroy High School
recently joined the ranks of two other Gilroy schools as a
California Distinguished School.
To the delight of Principal James Maxwell, Gilroy High School recently joined the ranks of two other Gilroy schools as a California Distinguished School.
“I’m very proud for the citizens of Gilroy that their high school is a Distinguished School,” Maxwell said, crediting staff and students for their efforts.
The honor is bestowed on schools that “meet the challenge of providing all their students with a rigorous education and fully prepare today’s students for success in postsecondary education or the workforce,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell in a statement. “In addition, these extraordinary middle and high schools have shown they are able to increase the achievement of all their students and have provided evidence that they are closing the achievement gaps that, unfortunately, exist at many schools.”
GHS boosted its score significantly on the last round of state standardized tests, inching its score of 723 on the Academic Performance Index closer to the statewide goal of 800.
Maxwell said he found out about the award Thursday morning when he saw GHS on the roster listing 136 middle schools and 125 high schools throughout the state.
Maxwell said he was relieved to see a food fight – which erupted the day state officials visited the campus – did not ruin their chances. Instead, the incident put GHS and district staff to the test and yielded a positive outcome, Maxwell said.
“From their perspective, they got to see how we handled a crisis in action and they said they were very impressed,” he said.
Maxwell notified students and faculty over the loudspeaker soon after hearing the news. He said he wanted to hold a proper celebration but had no plans yet.
“I feel really happy for Gilroy,” he said. “Some people feel like Gilroy is the poor stepsister at the bottom of the county. And now we’re a California Distinguished School.”
Las Animas Elementary School and Ascencion Solorsano Middle School were named Distinguished Schools in 2008 and 2007, respectively.
