Justin Garza High School
Address
4100 N Grantland Ave.

Fresno
,
California
93723

United States
Coordinates36°47′42″N 119°54′50″W / 36.794946°N 119.913936°W / 36.794946; -119.913936
Information
TypePublic high school
MottoStand For More
Established2021 (2021)
School districtCentral Unified School District
SuperintendentKetti Davis[1]
CEEB code054997
NCES School ID060797014570
PrincipalHarman Dhillon[1]
Grades9–12
GenderCoeducational
EnrollmentApproximately 1,200 (2021–22)
Campus typeSuburban
Color(s)   Blue and Red
Athletics conferenceCounty Metro League
MascotGuardians
AccreditationWestern Association of Schools and Colleges
Feeder schools
  • Glacier Point Middle School
  • Rio Vista Middle School
Websitejghs.centralunified.org

Justin Garza High School is a public high school serving the rural area west of Fresno, California.

History

Funding

In the early 2000s, administrators for the Central Unified School District noted growing enrollment and identified the district owned land next to Deran Koligian Stadium as the likely site for a new high school.[2]

In 2008, voters passed Measure B, authorizing $152 million in bonds for improvements at existing schools as well as new campuses, including a new high school.[3] The Great Recession of 2008 reduced the assessed home values in the area which made the full funding unsustainable. The bond amount was reduced to $64.7 million and delayed the ability to design and construct a high school. When asked about the delay, district administrator Kelly Porterfield described it: "...in 2008, the recession hit and with that went funding for the project."[4]

In 2016, voters by a comfortable margin passed Measure C, which reauthorized the 2008 Measure B balance of $87.3 million, allowing the first phase of school construction to finally move forward. The project was also aided by California state matching funds.[5]

Harris Construction won the construction bid and broke ground on June 29, 2019, in a ceremony attended by Congressman Jim Costa, Assemblymen Joaquin Arambula and Jim Patterson, and Fresno City Council members.[4][6] Construction took about two years and cost approximately $130 million.[4][6]

Naming, logo and boundaries

The district sought public input for the naming of the new school and they received over 200 proposed names, including former President Barack Obama, former Fresno Mayor Lee Brand, and social media celebrity Lovely Peaches.[7] When the school board brought the matter up for an official decision in May 2020, discussion centered around two options, naming it after former Central High School coach Justin Garza or utilizing a directional name, such as Central North.[7][8]

Justin Garza was the head football coach at Central High from 2012 through 2015, becoming a beloved campus and community figure after starting his career as a teacher there in 1999 and also serving as a football, track and golf assistant. Garza died in February of 2017 at the age of 41, after six years of battling Hodgkin lymphoma.[9] A community survey showed more support for the name "Central North," which led to a split board vote, but ultimately the name Justin Garza High School was selected in a 4-2 vote.[7]

District boundaries were also a point of contention, coming up for a vote at an October 27, 2020 board meeting. Three options were discussed, one with the Garza area wrapping around the Central East area like a giant letter C, while the other options were a north/south pattern and an east/west pattern.[10]

At the time of this discussion, the district had only one high school, Central High, but it was split into two campuses: "Central East", which opened in 1996 and sits at Cornelia and Dakota avenues, and "Central West", which opened in 1922 and sits at McKinley and Dickenson avenues. In all boundary options, the Central West campus would be converted to a school of choice with a strong agriculture program.[11]

In a 5-1 vote, the board chose the north/south district pattern, a map that board member Naindeep Singh Chann said slightly favored the more affluent areas. Chann ultimately cast no vote.[10]

The Guardians mascot and logo were revealed by Central Unified Superintendent Andrew Alvarado on October 5, 2020.[12]

Opening

The school opened on August 11, 2021, with the Garza family as featured guests. The school served grades 9 through 10 during its first year of operation and phased in grade 11 in the fall of 2022. Grade 12 is slated to be added in the fall of 2023, completing the phase-in process.[9][13]

Campus

Garza High campus mall in 2022

The school sits sit on the northeast corner of Ashlan and Grantland avenues, adjacent to Harvest Elementary, Glacier Point Middle School and Koligian Stadium.[6] The site was previously an empty plot of land.[4]

When the campus first opened, it consisted of three two-story classroom buildings, an administration building, a building containing two gyms, a locker room building, kitchen, campus mall, ball fields, tennis courts, and exterior basketball courts.[4] The three two-story buildings each houses multiple labs and classrooms allowing for flexible learning environments.[13] A unique feature of the school is a community plaza outdoor mall that leads into an indoor campus mall. The indoor mall has a glass ceiling to let in natural light.[13]

The district has continued to design and construct additional facilities for the school, including a performance arts building and a pool complex.

Extracurriculars

Athletics

The Justin Garza Athletic Department offers cross country, football, golf (boys and girls), tennis (boys and girls), volleyball (boys and girls), water polo (boys and girls), basketball (boys and girls), soccer (boys and girls), wrestling, badminton, baseball, competitive sport cheer, softball, swim & dive and track & field. The sports are separated into fall, winter and spring sports seasons.

The athletic director is Hovig Torigian and Yosef Fares was selected to be the first head football coach. Fares graduated from Fresno State and had previously been a head coach at Madera and Bullard High Schools.[14] In addition to his duties at the school, Fares was selected to work with the Atlanta Falcons during the 2022 season as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship.[15]

The school competes in the County Metro League.

Performing Arts

Justin Garza's performing arts program consists of choir, modern dance, band, color guard, guitar and theatre. The school's first organized musical was In The Heights by Lin-Manuel Miranda which was performed in March 2022. Garza is a member of the Western Band Association.

References

  1. 1 2 "Justin Garza High School 2021–2022 School Accountability Report Card". Central Unified School District. August 5, 2022. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Central celebrates opening of Deran Koligian Stadium". The Fresno Bee. October 25, 2006. p. N1. Retrieved August 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "Central Unified School District bond proposition, Measure B (November 2008)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Fresno's Central Unified School District breaks ground on new high school". ABC30. June 29, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  5. ↑ Price, Nancy (October 8, 2020). "Central's Measure D Is Key to Finishing Garza High, Building New Elementary". GVWire. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 Pando, Ashleigh. "Central Unified is getting a new high school. Here's what to expect". The Fresno Bee. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  7. 1 2 3 Price, Nancy (May 27, 2020). "Central Unified Names New High School After Justin Garza on Split Vote". GVWire. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  8. ↑ Price, Nancy (March 22, 2021). "Changing This New School's Name Will Cost Fresno-Area District an Extra $38K". GVWire. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  9. 1 2 Galaviz, Anthony (July 31, 2021). "'Game time.' Fresno's Central Unified debuts school named for coach lost to cancer fight". The Fresno Bee. Archived from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  10. 1 2 Pando, Ashleigh (November 11, 2020). "Does Fresno's new high school favor rich families on the north side? Here's the map". The Fresno Bee. Archived from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  11. ↑ Price, Nancy (September 22, 2020). "Who Will Attend Central Unified's New Garza High? Check Out Attendance Boundary Options". GVWire. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  12. ↑ Yurong, Dale (October 5, 2020). "New mascot, logo revealed for Central Unified high school named after beloved football coach". ABC30. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  13. 1 2 3 "Central Unified to open new high school in northwest Fresno". ABC30. July 31, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Yosef Fares named football coach at Justin Garza High School". ABC30. October 28, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  15. ↑ Nolan, Alec (August 5, 2022). "Good Sports: Valley high school football coach in special NFL internship". ABC30. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
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