District Spotlights Upgrades at Castro Valley Schools
Castro Valley schools are ending the year with hundreds of finished improvements to their 15 campuses including more permanent buildings, improved classroom experiences, and support systems for students.
Earlier this month, the district hosted a tour of six different sites including the high school, Creekside Middle School, and four elementary schools for its Board of Trustees and members of its oversight committee. It was the first time in more than two years the district showed off the progress of its modernization projects.
“I am always impressed at the thoughtfulness of the district staff who are overseeing this work, to bring together site staff and the contractors so that work can proceed smoothly and efficiently,” said Board of Trustees president, Dot Theodore. “That's not something that you can visualize, but that impresses me immensely.”
Improvements at the schools range from addressing health and safety, heating and air conditioning (HVAC), roofs, lighting, fields, and playgrounds in addition to the expansion and upgrades of multi-purpose rooms, classrooms, and improved access to facilities.
The most visible changes have been the creation of more outdoor gathering spaces such as the new amphitheater seating at Vannoy and Proctor elementary schools. While COVID was not the reason these spaces were created, the additional outdoor spaces can help with limited indoor gatherings.
One massive addition is the Wellness Center at Castro Valley High School. The building is a dedicated space for focusing on student wellbeing where they can drop in and get mental health services. Ironically, the building was finished and opened on the same March day that the district shut down its campus due to COVID-19 protocols.
“The Wellness Center is the project closest to my heart,” said Theodore. “Student wellbeing has been the center of our work as trustees of this district. The center grew from a desire to serve the whole student in a space that was created intentionally for their wellbeing. The space is beautiful, the art outside provides lightness and joy, the rooms and meeting spaces are comfortable and comforting. The Wellness Center and the work of the dedicated providers in that space will impact student lives beyond what we can imagine.”
The sports fields at Canyon Middle School are the next big project that is scheduled to move forward, according to the district’s timeline. A finalized agreement with Hayward Area Recreation and Park District (H.A.R.D.) to renovate the football, soccer, and baseball fields is expected to be formalized next year. The $5.7 million facelift of two sports fields behind Creekside Middle School is expected to be finished by July 2022.
Funding for the upgrades was made possible thanks to the passage of Bond Measure G, the $123 million General Obligation Bond approved by Castro Valley voters in June 2016. Hundreds of small and large-scale projects have already been completed with the rest expected to be complete by the summer of 2024. Additional funding has come from state and federal grant monies which the district has gathered over the last five years.
“The fact that we are on target to finishing these modernization goals and we are on budget is huge,” said CVUSD Superintendent Parvin Ahmadi.