San Benito High School District shares information with the public as it becomes available, including offering Linenewsletter updates each Monday and Thursday. Make sure to follow us on social media as well through @BalerNews on Twitter and Instagram, @BalerSports on Instagram, and Hollister High School on Facebook.

Thursday, June 1, 2023

Seventeen Hollister High School seniors received medals at a recognition luncheon this week to honor the fact that they had perfect attendance throughout their four years on campus. Not all students were available during the lunchtime event, but the five that were received a welcome by Assistant Principal Deborah Armstrong and were presented their medals by Principal Adrian Ramirez in the district meeting room. Mr. Ramirez said, "these last four years have been pretty bumpy," referring to the pandemic and the resulting distance learning and hybrid instruction. "Four years of perfect attendance means coming to school even when you're having a bad day, or when you're maybe not feeling too good. It's a huge accomplishment, so congratulations! That consistency is what gets you through your next phase, whether you're going to a college or university or junior college, or another path. Being reliable, being consistent, getting up when you don't really want to get up: we call those work habits. Thank you for being the students you are and being here every day!" The four-year perfect attendees are: Amelia Alcalan, Zitlaly Ceballos, Delaney Drew, Katie Firstbrook, Jasmine Jaramillo, Andy Nguyen, Nicolas Ochoa Ramirez, Yuvia Padilla, Ethan Pagulayan, Diego Rodriguez Ruiz, Kayla Sanchez, Luis Silva, Luno Stein, Sarah Stopper, Daniel Villagomez, Kendall Wright and Nathan Zamzow. Pictured above, left to right, are Yuvia, Kayla, Zitlaly, Jasmine and Amelia.

Ninety four seniors in the Hollister High School Class of 2023 have earned the California State Seal of Biliteracy, demonstrating that they attained proficiency in English and at least one other language: either Spanish, French or American Sign Language. This is the 11th year the school has awarded the seal. Over the prior five years, 592 HHS students have attained the Seal of Biliteracy. 

English Learner Program Specialist JoAnne Kaplansky said awarding of the state seal “promotes multilingualism as an asset. We want to encourage our students to study another language and culture because being multilingual opens up opportunities not just for employment, but also opportunities to connect with and understand other cultures.” 

Of this year’s awardees, more than half (56 percent) are former English Learners, who began school classified as such because their home language was not English. They had to demonstrate proficiency in English based on California state criteria to reclassify before being eligible to apply for the State Seal of Biliteracy.

The ultimate goal is for half of HHS graduates to be biliterate, aligning with the Global California 2030 initiative started in 2018 by the California Department of Education. The effort’s mission is to equip students with world language skills to better appreciate and more fully engage with the rich and diverse mixture of cultures, heritages, and languages found in California and the world, while also preparing them to succeed in the global economy.

In order to demonstrate English proficiency, students must complete all graduation requirements, including earning an overall grade point average of 2.0 or above in English Language Arts classes in grades 9-12; and score at the “met” or “exceeded” standard on the ELA SBAC, AP English Language and Composition with a 3 or above; or earn a 3 or above on the SAT. To demonstrate proficiency in a second language, students must pass a foreign language Advanced Placement (AP) exam with a score of 3 or higher; complete a 4-year course of study in a foreign language with an overall grade point average of 3.0 or above in that course of study; and demonstrate oral proficiency in the language comparable to that required to pass an AP examination.

Hello Hollister High School students and families: Please note that every teacher will review our Final Exam Security Policies with our students before the start of each day of final exams, which are next week. This will include each student being provided with an affidavit to review and sign. A copy, in English and Spanish, is available here.

Graduation practice for seniors in the Class of 2023 will take place Wednesday, June 7th from 2-4 p.m. inside Andy Hardin Stadium. Seniors will be provided with their reserved tickets AFTER the graduation practice. They will receive an email on the morning of grad practice detailing in which row they will sit. Achievers, the cap and gown company, will be at the stadium during practice to assist with cap and gown needs.

For Seniors

On graduation day, Friday June 9, seniors need to be inside the stadium by 7:15 a.m. They will be screened prior to entering the stadium and will not be allowed to carry in their cell phone. A light breakfast will be served in the stadium and Achievers will again be on hand to assist with cap and gown needs.

For Families and Guests

Gates to the multi-purpose field, where the graduation ceremony will be held. will ope at 7:15 a.m. Friday. Admission is by ticket only and guests will not be allowed to save seats. It is advisable to enter the facility together. No real flowers of any kind will be allowed inside the venue and no food or beverages, other than water, will be permitted. Heels are not allowed, but wedges are. Balloons, confetti, horns and baby strollers will not be permitted, so please leave those items in your car.

The Baler Class of 2003 will hold its 20-year reunion on July 29th at Damm Vineyards in Hollister.