Schools

Virginia Diaz, Gilroy Early College Academy

Michael Sabater Lasquete Jr., 17, senior at Gilroy High School

The kindergartners of Glen View Elementary School watched with wide eyes, bouncing on their tip-toes in anticipation as Principal Corina Sapien cut the yellow ribbon that separated them from their new playground Tuesday morning. As the ends of ribbon hit the pavement, the 5- and 6-year-olds swarmed the brightly colored play space, which has been three years in the making.

A former Gilroy Unified School District substitute instructor—and part of the Dr. TJ Owens Gilroy Early College Academy’s first graduating class—is leaving her hometown to teach English in Thailand. Taylor Hadnot will begin teaching Sept. 29, just two days before her 21st birthday, and will work for the Thai government teaching her native language to children.

With more than 1,500 people expected to attend Gavilan College’s 21st annual High on Health Faire, visitors will be exposed to a wide variety of medical services from a multitude of regional providers and agencies—and it’s free.The annual health and resource fair is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 1 at the Gavilan College Student Center (5055 Santa Teresa Blvd.) in Gilroy. It is open to the public and any of the free tests can be performed on children, as long as a parent or guardian is present.Representatives from Hazel Hawkins Hospital, Hollister Pregnancy Center/STD Clinic, The LGBTQ Youth Space, Covered CA, Saint Louise Regional Hospital, San Andreas Regional Center, San Benito County HHHSA, San Benito County Public Health’s Tobacco Program, Santa Clara County Valley Health Hospital, Santa Clara County WIC Program Sourcewise, South County Self Help Center, Tobacco Prevention and Education Program and the Gavilan College Allied Health Department.Visitors can request referrals for counseling and be tested for blood pressure, blood glucose and HIV/AIDS (results are confidential and do not require needles). The Gilroy Lions Club will be on hand for free vision screenings by a licensed optometrist as well as free pregnancy testing for women age 18 and older.

The Gilroy Unified School District Board of Education outlined and approved its budget for the year and certified the 2013-14 unaudited actual ending balance at the Sept. 4 meeting. Trustees also approved therapeutic classroom support for students with emotional disabilities, hourly rate increases for elementary school piano accompanists, professional development training for teachers and a memorandum of understanding between GUSD and Fresno State to allow its nursing students to do their practicums within the district.

Sonia Flores always knew she belonged in the classroom, but when she taught her first English class in Gilroy, she knew she had found her place.

On Sept. 5, Christopher High School will unveil its largest “classroom” on campus.

Gavilan College hopes to be one of 15 community colleges allowed to offer bachelor’s degrees as early as January 2015, after the California Legislature’s Aug. 20 approval of Senate Bill 850.The bill, which is awaiting the signature of Governor Jerry Brown, would establish a baccalaureate degree pilot program with 15 community colleges offering bachelor’s degrees in select workforce majors, according to a press release from the San Diego Community College District.“At this point we do not know which colleges will be participating or what the (selection) process will look like,” Gavilan spokesperson Jan Bernstein-Chargin said.California Community Colleges is the largest higher education system in the nation with 72 districts and 112 colleges, serving more than 2.6 million students, according to the CCC Registry.Chargin added that changes to the state’s master plan for higher education must be approved first, and then an implementation plan can be established for the community college system.“It’s definitely something we’re very interested in,” said Gavilan President Steve Kinsella back in February when the bill was introduced by State Senator Marty Block (D-San Diego). “I think it will happen. It needs to happen.”If approved California would join 21 other states already allowing community colleges to grant bachelor’s programs. Brown has until Sept. 30 to act on the bill. “Unlike previous bills, however, SB 850 enjoys bipartisan support and is widely touted as a way for the state to address its need to be competitive in areas of high workforce demand,” the release states.There have been four failed attempts since 2004 to pass a similar bill granting community colleges permission to offer bachelor’s degrees, according to an EdSource report. That same report says the proposal faces likely opposition from CSU, UC and even some corners of the community college system.Stipulations to SB 850 include community colleges can only offer bachelor’s degrees in areas where public universities do not offer such a program, cannot accommodate student demand, or do not have the interest. Such workforce programs include dental hygiene, radiologic technology, health information science/informatics and automotive technology.“The California pilot will allow the legislature to explore this possibility and study the results in a thorough report before making a full commitment that the other states have made,” the release reads.

GILROY—The start of the school year marked the end of several major projects within the Gilroy Unified School District.