Schools

A lot of parents were sad to say goodbye, especially to first-day-of-school kindergarteners in four buzzing classrooms at Las Animas Elementary School. To avoid separation issues, the school discourages parents from hanging around the school or volunteering in classrooms until their children are acclimated to being away from them.

With a record number of students expected to swell Gilroy classrooms this year, school officials this week launched a citywide poster campaign aimed at getting every one of them to show up on the first day of classes, Aug. 16.“What we typically see is 95 to 96 percent show up on the first day. Three to four percent don’t show up till the second week of school,” said Gilroy Unified School District Superintendent Debbie Flores.“That impacts the child, what they have already missed. So we are really urging parents to send their children to school next Tuesday so they can get everything that is covered in that week and not be behind,” she said, adding, “what we’d really like to see is every student in school the first day.”The district also loses about $40 per day per student in state funding when students miss school.The attendance posters will be displayed in storefronts, on school grounds and elsewhere around the city, according to Flores.The GUSD student population this year is projected to exceed 11,500 and could reach 11,600. That’s more than ever before, and within five to seven years the number is expected to be 12,000, Flores said.The growth is being pushed by new housing developments in western and southern Gilroy, mostly in the areas served by Gilroy High School, Solorsano Middle School and Las Animas, Luigi Aprea, Rod Kelley and Glen View elementary schools.And with home construction by the hundreds continuing apace in new subdivisions along Hecker Pass Highway and Santa Teresa Boulevard, student numbers will continue to swell, underscoring the need to increase classroom capacity for those neighborhoods, Flores said.Those increases will come by way of a planned new elementary school, the top priority for the $170 million school bond measure approved June 7 by voters, and an expansion at Gilroy High School. Solorsano has room for 200 to 300 more students, according to Flores, and a new wing built at Las Animas School will help absorb the influx of new students.For the coming session, GUSD hired four new principals and assigned an interim principal at Mt. Madonna High School. New principals will serve at South Valley and Brownell middle schools and Luigi Aprea and Rod Kelley elementary schools.It’s the largest number of new principals she’s hired since starting in the district in 2007, Flores said.“I am very excited, they are going to do a great job,” she said.GUSD also hired 85 new teachers, up from last year’s 80, for a total of about 550. Some were hired to bolster the special education program, but most will replace teachers who retired or moved away.Also, 25 new hires were made in the classified employee ranks, which includes janitorial and clerical staff, and in the paraprofessional staff, who work in classrooms.Classes start at GUSD’s 15 campuses on Tuesday, Aug. 16.In addition to GUSD’s regular public schools, student numbers are up at Gilroy Prep School, the district’s successful charter school that operates under the Navigator Schools banner, where classes start Wednesday, Aug. 17.With the addition of a 7th grade to the previous K-6 range, the student population at GPS is at 480. The school adds a grade each year and is exploring high school grades in the future.GPS also added two new classrooms for the new grade and hired four new teachers to add to its roster of two teachers and two small-group instructors per grade.This year also sees the addition of a “robust enrichment” program that includes art, Spanish and LegoRobotics instruction, according to Kirsten Carr, director of community outreach for Navigator, with also operates Hollister Prep School in that city.Navigator also has a new CEO, Kevin Sved. Founding CEO James Dent is the schools’ new chief academic officer.“Our ability to focus on teacher coaching and professional development will only continue to grow and strengthen,” Carr said in an email. “That intense coaching leads to even stronger academic support for the classroom and success for our students.” Navigator’s test scores consistently are among the highest in the state.

Gilroy schools’ first public information officer has resigned to take a similar job in Sunnyvale that pays $46,000 more a year.

The organization that runs arguably the most successful schools in Gilroy and Hollister has a new chief executive officer.

Not content with just “leaning in,” a new program launched in Gilroy this summer aims to close the success gap and equip young women and girls with critical leadership skills long before they send out their first resume.

Nine years after it was picked as one of three California school districts for a pilot program funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Gilroy’s summer learning program has become a model of success.

Former Gilroy High School science teacher Douglas Le was charged with 20 felonies Monday after impersonating a female porn star and soliciting photos from high school boys, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office.

Two new lawsuits were filed Wednesday against the Gilroy Unified School District for its handling of a teacher who was allegedly “sexting” with students. Los Angeles lawyer Gloria Allred announced the suits Wednesday during a late afternoon press conference—in time for the nightly news—outside the GUSD office on Arroyo Circle.

From Gavilan's Press Release: At their meeting on June 14, 2016, the Board of Trustees of Gavilan Joint Community College District named Dr. Kathleen Rose as the next President / Superintendent of Gavilan College. The appointment includes a two-year contract with compensation of $239,000 in...

Gilroy High School Principal Marco Sanchez summarized the Class of 2016 Commencement Ceremony with a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."‘If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, keep moving forward,’"Sanchez quoted. “Well, Class of 2016, today you’re moving forward and on to the next step of your life.” The theme of progress carried on throughout the June 8 ceremony was in Centennial Circle at the center of the GHS campus. Music Director Jonathan Souza led the Gilroy High School Band in playing “Pomp and Circumstance” as graduates proceeded to take their seats. The graduates teemed with excitement, their blue and white gowns gliding around with each movement.Class President Ileana Garcia Jimenez, a California Scholarship Federation member, led the audience in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Jimenez is headed off to UC Santa Barbara in the fall. According to Sanchez, the Class of 2016 earned hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships and grants. Over 95 percent of the graduating class is heading off to college in the fall. Sanchez individually recognized the groups heading off to colleges, vocational/trade schools, and the military in his welcome speech. “You’re here today because you made each day count,” Sanchez said. “Except for that Senior Ditch Day in May.” Jimenez returned to the stage to welcome the audience and graduates. The ceremony marked the end of one chapter and the beginning of another, she said. “No matter what obstacles we’re faced with, I know we will not cower,” Jimenez said. “We will succeed. I wish you all the best and encourage you all to be as persevering as we have been through high school.” Moises Alvarado Partida led the Spanish welcome after Jimenez. Partida is headed to Gavilan College this fall.Gilroy Unified School District Board of Education President Fred Tovar echoed the speech he gave the day before at Christopher High School, except he quoted an African proverb instead of Muhammad Ali."‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,’ Tovar said. “Remember these words as you venture out into the world, where you’re always stronger together.”Among other accomplishments, this class did over 20,000 hours of community service, said Athletic Director and Community Service Coordinator Julie Berggren.She asked 29 students, who completed over 160 hours each, to stand. “These students alone have completed over 6,361 hours!” she said. CSF Advisor and physics teacher Matt Hungerford recognized the 15 CSF members in the Class of 2016. Hungerford noted that students had to have outstanding grades in order to receive CSF honors. GHS Biomedical Science Academy Coordinator Jennifer Spinetti recognized “a very special group of graduates who chose to focus their high school studies in the science arena.” They are the second graduating class of the academy. “Most people say that it is intellect that makes a great scientist,” Spinetti said. “Well, it’s character. These BSA graduates have great character and we would like to honor them today.” There were two Salutatorians at the graduation: CSF members Nicole Holder and Elaine Sausen. The title marks the second highest ranking student in a graduating class, after the valedictorian. Holder, a singer and athlete, is headed to UC Berkeley in the fall to study biology. She graduated with a 4.2 GPA. Sausen, ASB Media Relations Commissioner and field hockey team captain, is headed to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore to study English. She graduated with a 4.32 GPA.Holder and Sausen spoke separately. Holder compared high school to running the mile in track and field, with each lap representing a different year. She said that the Class of 2016 had made it to the finish line: graduation. “If there’s one thing this school has taught us, it’s to persevere and push yourself,” she said. Success doesn’t come without hard work.” Sausen spoke of her upcoming journey to Johns Hopkins University with hopes of becoming a writer. “Looking back on our high school career, it roughly follows the pattern of a book,” she said. “We’re all characters in this book, transitioning from awkward teenagers into young adults. Here’s the SparkNotes version: life is full of challenges. Sometimes you’re dealt cards that are not in your favor, but you can always find a reason to keep going. Never tell yourself something is impossible. If you do, you’ve quit before you’ve even begun.” Valedictorian and CSF member Andy Garcia is headed to UC Berkeley in the fall to study political economy. He graduated as Rotary Club President with a 4.6 GPA. Principal Sanchez noted that Garcia is just one of a couple students in the school district to receive the National Hispanic Scholar recognition. “I came to high school feeling incomplete, lacking much purpose, and definitely not thinking I’d end up here tonight,” Garcia said. Garcia spoke of how high school changed him and his fellow graduates. “Now that high school’s over, let’s exercise passion, curiosity, and love in what we do. This is the best way we can open doors for ourselves. And if we can open doors for ourselves, we can open doors for others.” Keynote Speaker and English teacher Zachary Powell spoke after Garcia. Powell was chosen to speak by the graduating class. He told a story about how he witnessed two men help a complete stranger push his broken down car out of the road to a gas station. “No one asked them to do it, they knew they had to,” Powell said. “They saw a stranded driver and they took action. And that is what you should be doing. Sometimes humanity occurs right in front of your eyes.” Powell ended his speech with some advice. “Don’t be afraid to be perceived as overly sensitive, because the only people we should try to impress are ourselves,” he said. Music Director Souza led the Chamber Singers in a rendition of the song “Go the Distance” from Disney’s animated film Hercules. Class officers from the future graduating classes of 2017, 2018, and 2019 acted as ceremonial diploma bearers. They handed out diplomas as graduates proceeded along the stage to shake hands with Principal Sanchez and the school board. Superintendent Dr. Deborah Flores officially graduated the Class of 2016 at the end of the ceremony. Graduates tossed their caps in the air as fireworks went off behind them. Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” played as the audience exited the campus, a pleasant reminder to keep moving forward.