GILBERT, AZ — From classes to friends, so much about the first day of school is new, however, some things never change.
At Higley’s Traditional Academy, a school bell in front of the campus has been there for more than 100 years. The bell is from 1909 and rings fewer than five times a year.
School staff will ring it for the end of the school year, when a distinguished teacher retires, or before the start of the very first day of school.
”The greatest thing about it is the kids really respect it...you’d think being out here in the open, kids would ring it, but they really don’t,” said Caryn Bacon, the principal of Higley Traditional Academy.
While history should be preserved, some parts of the campus need renovation.
She shared with us that the newest parts of the campus are 30 years old. We’re told the HVAC system needs to be updated and the same goes for the roof.
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For example, when a big monsoon storm rolls through, Gustavo Alanderos, with the maintenance and construction team, holds his breath for these buildings that are nearing the end of their life expectancy.
”You can kind of see a spot here from water damage,” he said. ”Right now the initiative is to find long-term solutions to these things and not keep patching these things.”
So the district formed a group that recommended a bond and Gilbert residents will see that on their November ballot.
While a measure like this was put to the voters in the past and failed, this election cycle’s measure is not a tax increase, but a continuation of the prior existing measure.
It’s projected to cost less than $12 per household and the budget override continuation will help with class size, support teacher salaries, classroom expansion, and safety security on campus.
Despite what is needed, a school is defined not by the campus itself but by its students, staff, and teachers — like Elisa Catalani.
From inside her older classroom last year she spearheaded a new program called Higley Helps.
All throughout the year, students find a way to give back to the community in need through water or food drives, and toy donations during holidays.
”I want students to remember what it feels like to give back, and how good it feels to help others, and I want them to do that throughout their whole career,” said Catalani.
