By: Annabelle Williamson
Amid the 4 high schools in Visalia, traditions and character are rich in the city’s history. From painting spirit lane for Cowhide against Mt. Whitney, to Battle of the Saddle with El Diamante and Golden West, Visalia’s high schools are a part of Visalia’s history. But a new high school is being added to the 4. The new school will be located near Ridgeview Middle School and the school boundary lines have not yet been decided.
Measure A, passed by Visalia voters in last November’s election, funds upgrades for elementary, middle, and high schools and funds the building of a new high school. $109 million dollars is initially being pushed into this measure: of this, $75 million will go to the new high school and $34 million will be used to modernize the schools in VUSD. Redwood, El Diamante, and Golden West are not on the list of schools eligible for upgrades.
When El Diamante opened in 2002, its impact spread to all of the schools in VUSD and some are still feeling it today. Former Redwood head football coach, John Yavasile, spoke to the Gigantea on how he and the athletics of Redwood was affected by El Diamante’s opening: “It affected us quite a big… [our] numbers dropped significantly…it really hit us pretty hard and I lost 6 coaches that were actually teachers on campus… those were hard to replace.” During the El Diamante’s first year, Redwood had only 12 students show up for freshman football, instead of 50-60 students and ended up playing the season with 22 freshman players. “We really went into a slump.” Mr. Yavasile said.
Mr. Yavasile, who coached football for 21 years, is passionate about the traditions that Redwood has built, like spirit lane. “The emphasis on all the traditions and all the good things that Redwood stands for [are important] because I still think it’s the strongest high school in town.” Although Mr. Yavasile has retired from coaching, he is still interested to see how Measure A will affect and/or benefit other schools. “My philosophy is that you build the campuses that you have and don’t necessarily build a new high school,” Mr. Yavasile continues, “I was fortunate as a coach to find the school that I wanted to be at… Redwood was the better place.”
Mr. Miller, an AP Lit teacher on campus was teaching at Redwood when El Diamante opened. With El Diamante coming into the district, Mr. Miller said that “It gave Golden West someone to have a rivalry with… they had someone to play for Battle of the Saddle.” Redwood began looking at EDHS as a second rivalry. “Redwood’s culture was super strong… I didn’t see the same impact as the football program or the baseball program.” Mr. Miller, when asked about Measure A passing, told the Gigantea his concerns. “My primary concern is where they draw the boundaries. If they take walking distance into account, our school’s going to change a lot… I hope they look at more than just walking distance. I hope they try to balance social, economic issues, and cultural diversity issues so that we don’t become a school that’s out of balance… Every time Visalia Unified has changed boundaries, Rangers find their way back in.”
Although the main purpose of the Measure A is to build a new high school near Ridgeview Middle School, it’s also to help and improve other schools that have been around for a long time. But, many people are concerned with what could happen if not all the schools are helped or if the majority of the money goes to the new high school. “I hope this new high school doesn’t make Redwood look like it doesn’t have adequate facilities… I hope that this bond also helps all of the schools.” Mr. Miller says.
From the sources the Gigantea has talked to, it seems as though Redwood has created an environment that people would want to stay at. Measure A has hopes to help schools in need of repair and updating, but also to create a new place for students to go to high school. “Redwood is a family and you just find your way back home” said Mr. Miller.