Welcome to the 2014-15
school year! I look forward to another exciting and educationally rewarding
school year in the Grossmont District. It is my privilege to continue to serve
the students and families of this wonderful district as I enter my fifth year
as Superintendent.
As we welcomed your
students back to school this week, we reaffirmed our commitment to making your
child’s educational experience the best it can possibly be. We share a common
vision with our parent and community partners to provide an educational experience
that builds on our students’ strengths, that encourages them to pursue their
dreams, and that will enable them to move on after high school equipped with
the necessary knowledge, skills, and leadership qualities to be successful.
I feel a deep sense of
pride in our strong reputation as a school district. A Grossmont Union
education is designed to prepare all of our graduates to be college and career
ready. In the months ahead we will continue to infuse the new Common Core State
Standards into our instructional program, to provide an ever increasing number
of our students with the rigorous academic offerings needed to gain admittance
to the UC-CSU system, to expand the Career Technical Education offerings across
the district, and to build and renovate outstanding facilities in support of
our mission to provide greater results for our students.
Whether you are a long-time
member of our school district community or new to Grossmont Union, you will see
reflected in my weekly communications, a deep commitment by our staff toward
excellence and a strong desire to deliver our very best each day.
Construction teams have
been busy in preparation for our students’ return. Following, is a bond program
spotlight on the new physical education building that was recently completed at
El Capitan High School as well as an update on the many other Proposition H/U
school bond projects from around the district.
PROGRAM
SPOTLIGHT
NEW
PHYSICAL EDUCATION BUILDING COMPLETED AT EL CAPITAN
 |
| A ribbon cutting ceremony marks the completion of the new physical education building |
On August 29, the District
celebrated the completion of the new physical education building at El Capitan
High School with a ribbon-cutting and building dedication ceremony.
The new 18,405-square-foot
facility replaces a dilapidated locker room building that served the campus for
55 years. The modern facility features boys’ and girls’ locker rooms, showers,
wrestling/aerobics room, fitness/weight room, team rooms, training room and
coaches’ offices. The project included demolition of the old locker room building,
new basketball courts, multiple shade structures for outdoor fitness, a new
sand volleyball court and site landscaping.
The dedication event included
remarks by Superintendent Swenson, El Capitan Principal Laura Whitaker,
Athletic Director Sandy Martinez and Governing Board President Robert Shield.
Football players, dance and cheer team members, and other student athletes took
part in the event, lifting weights in the new weight room and performing in the
new aerobics room. Enjoy your new building, Vaqueros!
CAMPUS
UPDATES
Chaparral –
Construction has been completed on two new Career Technical Education (CTE)
classroom buildings, with a construction cost of $10 million. The CTE
classrooms will house the campus’ culinary arts, construction tech, art,
science, floral design and cosmetology programs.
El
Cajon Valley – The new two-story Physical Education
facility has opened to students as crews wrap up remaining work on the $6.4
million project in October. The project also includes demolition of the
60-year-old structures that previously served as the boys and girls P.E.
buildings.
ELITE
Academy – Construction is complete on the new special education
facility on the district’s former Work Training Center site. The two custom
modular buildings, totaling 23,000 square feet, feature seven classrooms,
administrative offices, kitchen, fitness center, multi-purpose/gathering room
and separate restroom buildings. The project had a construction cost of $5.6
million.
Granite
Hills – Work has begun on the new Student Support Building.
The first phase includes removal of hazardous materials, demolition of
Buildings 90 and 100, and electrical/utility upgrades. Modernization plans for
Buildings 30 and 80 have been submitted to the California Division of the State
Architect (DSA) for review.
Grossmont
–
Grading and demolition work is underway in preparation of the new Student
Support Services and Arts Classroom Buildings. Construction is expected to
begin in May/June 2015.
Helix
Charter – Modernization work is underway on the Physical
Education buildings, as well as the pool and pool deck areas. The projects are
expected to be completed by mid-September.
Monte
Vista – The old Physical Education building is currently
being remodeled in order to make way for a new $6.3 million P.E. facility,
which should be completed for the start of the 2015-2016 school year. Planning
is also underway for a “summer sprint” in 2015, to include Buildings 700, 800
and 800-A, which house the school kitchen, music program and CTE classrooms for
automotive and metals.
Mount
Miguel – Final punch-list items are being completed for the
modernization of Building 700 West. The $5.6 million project includes
performing arts classrooms, a black box theater, choir room, band room, ASB
offices and a kitchen modernization.
Santana
–
Construction has begun to modernize three classroom buildings, with a
construction cost of $6.3 million. The project includes Building 400 (culinary
arts and video production classrooms), Building 500 (weight room/gymnastics
classroom) and Building 700 (two special education suites, 3D/2D art classroom
with an outdoor kiln, nurse’s suite, psychologist and speech therapist rooms,
and two restrooms). Completion is
scheduled for December.
Steele
Canyon – Crews have completed the installation of 60-foot
safety nets on the varsity baseball field and a new 5,000-square-foot athletic
storage facility is currently in design. These were not bond-funded projects.
Valhalla – Modernization
of the four-story Main Building is currently in DSA for review. Construction is
anticipated in 2015-2016. The project will include approximately 50 classrooms,
as well as restrooms and new administrative and guidance counselor offices.
West
Hills – The design phase is approximately 50% complete for
modernization of the special education suites and ADA upgrades. Construction is
expected to begin in June 2015.
Deferred
Maintenance – New roofing has been installed on El
Capitan’s Buildings 400 and 500, as well as the warehouse building at Helix
Charter. Hazardous materials abatement is now underway for El Capitan’s
concession building.
