One Community: Building A Brighter Future

January 30, 2024

Dear San Benito High School District parents, students, staff and community:

To commemorate the progress on Hollister High School's new student union/cafeteria, San Benito High School District administrators on board members on Friday, Jan. 12 signed a beam before it was put in place on what is becoming an 8,500-square foot building with a cafeteria, kitchen, indoor and outdoor assembly spaces, room for students to hang out or study, and provide room for staff and community gatherings. A larger kitchen and dining facility will meet the needs of our continually growing campus population, which currently hovers around 3,500 and is expected to increase to approximately 3,900 students in the next five years.

San Benito High School District was proud to welcome more than 80 community members, families, and district faculty, staff and administrators to the January 18 town hall in which HMC Architects led an engaging building activity designed to spur discussions and gather feedback about a second high school.

The event in the Hollister High School Davis Library was the latest step in our ongoing outreach and engagement efforts with the community. These included English- and Spanish-language town halls on campus in August 2023, followed by 10 K-8 Listening and Awareness sessions at local elementary schools throughout the Fall. We have also done targeted outreach to staff, students and community members at a total of 12 events, where more than 300 attendees offered more than 1,300 comments about the second high school. Our Spanish-speaking community is invited to the next opportunity to provide design input on a second high school in the San Benito High School District during a town hall session on Wednesday, January 31 in the school library. HMC Architects will be on hand again to guide the hands-on discussion, following up on the English-language town hall on campus on January 18. Food and childcare will be provided.

Kristy Bettencourt, San Benito High School District's Maintenance, Operations, and Transportation Manager, offered the 2024 MOT Facility Update at the recent meeting of the San Benito High School District Board of Trustees. She provided information on the maintenance efforts of campus facilities and transportation departments. This includes replacing old carpet and wallpaper in classrooms on the 400 campus, along Nash Road north of the Career Technical Education Building. Crews also installed a climate-controlled trailer connected to the campus sewer system that provides restroom facilities for teachers in the 320 classroom area and will provide a restroom for fans at Baler baseball games.

Ms. Bettencourt highlighted the continued good work of the grounds team, and noted that despite recent rains crews were able to get all of the footings and grade beams poured for the Student Union Building. All beams, columns and purlins are now installed on the structure, which is scheduled for completing in the Fall of 2024. She also noted that sustainability continues to be a hallmark at Hollister High, which last year was awarded Green Ribbon School designation for its practices including use of solar panels to offset energy usage, recycling of trash and food waste, installation of drought-tolerant plans and trees, the use of conscious construction practices, and even the reuse of the demolished CTE building as base rock and ground fill for ongoing construction projects.