On Thursday, September 12, 2024, district and school representatives held a ground-breaking ceremony for a new building, which will not only have classrooms but also a new eatery.
The ceremony was led by former Salinas Union High School Superintendent, Dan Burns, where he expressed his faith in Alisal students to continue to further their education with the addition of new classrooms.
“The building will replace out-of-date portable classrooms and provide modern learning spaces for students,” Burns said. “It’s a dedicated space to have another location to serve meals for students.”
Burns also highlighted how Alisal’s growing student population will benefit from the building. “The footprint of this school is large. However, it feels small when there are almost 3,000 students on campus.”
Principal Christina Perez-Parker, addressed how the building will benefit the growing teacher-to-student ratio. “The building will support the growing population of students, and help with a space issue we are facing for teachers and students. This building will also be beneficial for the traveling teachers coming to Alisal.”
Art teacher Adrian Cornejo, who was one of several teachers whose classrooms were torn down to create room for the new building, shared his initial thoughts. “I was devastated when I learned that my classroom would be torn down, but also ecstatic for something new. But these classrooms are a good thing, they needed to come to Alisal to help the growing population of students.”
Some students who attended the ceremony had mixed emotions about the new project. Angel Palacios, a senior, said, “I will miss the classes we used to have since the classroom had memories between students and the faculty.”
The 15,100 square foot building will include 2 stories, 5 science classrooms, 3 science-prep areas, 15 regular classrooms, 2 boys’ bathrooms, 2 girls’ bathrooms, 3 staff restrooms, 1 gender-neutral restroom, and a cafeteria for students.
While most were glad for the new building, some felt the existing buildings needed some renovations too. “We should update the water fountains and the air conditioning to create more comfortable spaces for students,” senior Pedro Tomas said.
Overall, the consensus is that the new building is a much-needed upgrade for the school. The new building is expected to be completed in the next 18 months to 2 years.
