Education: South Valley Middle School hosts grand opening

100-plus-year-old school transformed into a modern learning facility

GUSD Board President Linda Piceno cuts the ribbon in front of the new entrance of the South Valley Middle School administration building. Photo by Kaylee Arca

By Kaylee Arca

After three years of noise and dust from construction work, South Valley Middle School unveiled its long-awaited $88-million rebuilt campus to cheers from students, parents, and community members during a Nov. 27 grand opening ceremony.

Dr. Anisha Munshi, right, rededicates the South Valley Middle School gymnasium in the name of Bert Mar, a longtime wrestling coach at the school who stands on the left with the walker. Photo by Kaylee Arca

Attendees toured the new quad and state-of-the-art classrooms while celebrating the transformation of the 100-plus year-old school into a modern learning facility equipped to educate generations to come.

Gilroy Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Anisha Munshi welcomed local dignitaries, staff, and families who gathered under the campus entrance to celebrate and tour the new campus.

“A huge part of the project was to keep the sense of community that surrounds us, while building the absolutely beautiful school at the center of it all,” she said. “I am so excited for our students who will have an opportunity to get a high-quality education on this campus. I know it will inspire future generations to greatness.”

The redesign started in 2020 and transformed the campus in several phases. Phase one saw the new classrooms constructed on the old grass fields. Students and staff moved into the new classrooms in 2022. The old classrooms were then demolished and replaced with a multi-purpose room, library, kitchen, music room, and more.

At times, the project was like “building a plane while flying,” said South Valley Principal Guillermo Ramos, describing the chaos of holding classes while the activities of construction workers took place.

He joked with the crowd that the band program moved eight times since 2020. Now they have a specialized room with high-quality acoustics.

In the middle of the campus, students walk through a large, tiger-paw-shaped quad to their classrooms, which are separated into seven villages depending on grade and academic subject. Each village pod is painted a rainbow variety of colors, inspired by the vibrant buildings of Puerto Rico.

Inside each village, students and teachers have access to state-of-the-art technology and collaborative learning environments such as flexible seating, large smart screens, maker spaces for hands-on activities, and outdoor learning spaces.

Photo by Kaylee Arca

During the evening event, Munshi rededicated the new gym to Bert Mar, who served as the South Valley wrestling team coach for more than 20 years. Affectionately known as “The Godfather of Wrestling in Gilroy,” Mar was a Nor-Cal Champion in 1964. Over the years, he led South Valley Middle School to win most of its more than 30 championship team titles.

Former GUSD Superintendent Dr. Deborah Flores played an integral role in the campus rebuild project up until she retired in June.

“I’m so excited. It exceeded my wildest expectations,” she said. “The board and I made the decision to rebuild this campus about four years ago.”

The old South Valley campus was aging and had many problems. Now, the school has upgraded lighting and ventilation. Enhanced campus security includes more than 100 cameras monitoring for safety.

GUSD collaborated with Aedis Architects and Flint Builders to create the campus.

“School projects like this, it’s a lot more than just concrete and steel. We get to create places for students to learn and grow,” said Dan Bright, project manager at Flint Builders. “For a lot of these kids, it’s the beginning of their future.”

Construction took 350,000 hours. Complicating matters, builders had to plan the logistics of scheduling work during the various phases while trying not to impact education, Bright said.

“I hope the students respect and appreciate the campus,” he said. “These guys have one of the nicest middle schools in the state now.”

“For everyone to come together and deliver a school in three years, from design to construction, of this size rarely happens,” said Ryan Tognetti, principal at Flint Builders.

The reconstruction was funded by the Measure E bond passed on the June 7, 2016 ballot, authorizing $170 million in improvements for Gilroy Unified schools. Its passage makes the district eligible to receive state-matching funds to repair, modernize and upgrade classrooms throughout the district.

“I’m so proud and thankful to the voters of Gilroy for giving us the resources to build this incredible place for teaching and learning,” Ramos said. “This is truly a gift and a testament that the students of Gilroy matter to our citizens.”

GUSD board president and former South Valley Principal Linda Piceno thanked local citizens for their support.

“This new school is the result of an enormous group effort starting with the Gilroy community who approved Measure E,” she said. “The staff and administration of South Valley gave their invaluable input into the ways this building could meet the needs of staff and students, and what this school should look like.”

The surrounding neighborhood has also supported a school on the property for more than 100 years, she said.

“More than five generations of Gilroyans have created family memories of sending their children to school and attending conferences, musical performances, fundraisers, sporting events, graduation and promotion ceremonies,” Piceno said. “It makes me happy to know that many more generations of Gilroyans will be making happy family memories within the walls of this school.”

Kayee Arca is a Morgan Hill-based freelance writer.