Aromas School gym to open soon

The biggest building Aromas has ever seen is about to open its doors. Aromas School’s first-ever gym is scheduled to open in May, just in time for commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2005, according to Principal Ercilia Zavala.

The building, which will hold about 1,000 people, is a landmark in the small town at the intersection of San Benito, Monterey and Santa Cruz counties. “It looks beautiful, absolutely beautiful,” Zavala said. “My staff and I took a tour last week. It’s going to be a beautiful addition to the school.”
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The best part of the project lies ahead, Zavala said. “We’re picking the logo for our bulldog mascot, and we’ll be picking colors pretty soon.”

The gym is being built with funds from a successful bond measure endorsed by 63 percent of the district’s voters in March 2002. An earlier bond effort failed, even though it received roughly the same percentage of supporting votes. The difference came in the form of a state initiative, which lowered what was a two-thirds majority required to pass a bond to 55 percent.

The 10,000 square foot structure contains activity and storage areas, an office, restrooms and is fully wired for cable and T1 lines. The contractor, Dilbeck and Sons of Salinas, has maintained its schedule through this winter's storms.

The gym is the centerpiece of the campus, and Zavala hopes it becomes the centerpiece of the larger community as well. “I’m hoping that the community … will become involved with the gym, and that it becomes the hub of the entire community,” Zavala said.

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Exhibitions prepare students for graduation

There’s an adventure waiting for students at Anzar High School on their way to graduation. Graduation exhibitions have been part of the school since its inception more than a decade ago, and have come to help define an approach to secondary education that emphasizes critical thinking and analysis skills, what Principal Charlene McKowen calls “habits of mind.”

Before Anzar High opened, members of the Aromas San Juan School District Board of Trustees toured schools across the country, developing a picture of what their new high school would – and would not – become. When they came back, “they knew they wanted some form of service learning program and some form of exhibitions for the high school,” McKowen said.

The exhibitions were an idea borrowed from Central Park East High in New York City. Students are free to select any issue – they are not prompted with lists to choose from. “It really is passion or interest based,” McKowen said. “They can’t be topic based because then it would be a report, and they already know how to do that.”

That’s not to say that exhibitions must be controversial. About half the time, students select topics that present themselves through family or someone close. The last round of exhibitions in December included topics like, “Why Are Four-Stroke Engines so Dominant?”; “How do Abortions Change the Politics of Those Who Undergo One?”; “Why Has Literature Continued to Play a Role in the Basis for Video Games?”; and “How do Off Road Vehicles Affect the Environment?”

Students are required to complete exhibitions that touch upon the major learning disciplines: history, language arts, science, mathematics, world language and art. Typically, one exhibition will integrate two or more subject areas.

Each exhibition includes a written component, an oral presentation, and a question and answer session with a panel of evaluators drawn from the community. All judges undergo extensive training before evaluating an exhibition. McKowen said judges often notice discernable growth as students move from one exhibition to the next over time.

“Through exhibitions, every student will have tried their best at something, and they will have gained the skills to accomplish such a task,” McKowen said.

Prior to arriving as a member of the team that opened Anzar High, McKowen recalled an experience many teachers shared. “We had been watching students walk across the stage and getting the same diploma, but that diploma means so many different things. There were students with 4.0 GPAs who didn’t try very hard. … And there were students with 2.0 GPAs who worked really, really hard.”

The exhibitions ensure that every student applies their learning to their utmost ability. It shows in the pride students take in their exhibition work. “Students come back all the time – weekly – to get their reports back to use again in college,” McKowen said. “It’s not why we do it, but students do have a leg up on other college students in terms of habits of mind.”

Judges use guideline materials and a scoring guide to evaluate exhibitions. Their training encourages them to challenge presenters with questions as well. Students prepare their exhibitions outside of school, although typically, they will take an elective class that guides them through the process.

“Students can do all their exhibitions in their senior year if they choose to do so,” McKowen said. “But it’s less stressful on students and parents to spread it out a little more.”
Photo by Susan D. Reno, The Pinnacle