SOUTH BAY (KGTV) — The Sweetwater School District welcomed back 36-thousand students on Wednesday, including hundreds of students at Granger Junior High where ABC 10News was invited for its first day back-to-school.
Granger Junior High is a 7th through 9th-grade campus within the Sweetwater School District, and has more that 700 students.
On Wednesday, Granger's Associated Student Body (ASB), chose an "Ohana" theme welcome party to make students feel right back at home.
"We wanted it to be an Ohana-themed because we want the kids to know that you are a part of our family," said Elizabeth Wong, principal of Granger Junior High. "We're about seeing every kid and making sure they all feel wanted, and we take care of them academically, socially, and everything."
Students expressed enthusiasm about the opportunities awaiting them during the upcoming school year.
Freshman student Elaina Valdivia said, "I think I'm mostly looking forward to my 9th year for promotion and honestly just the new classes because I am taking more AP classes and I feel like what sets Granger apart from like other schools in our district is Granger actually cares about us."
Fellow 8th grade student Xavier Diggs shared his goals: "What I'm really looking forward to this year is obviously to get really good grades, because I wanna succeed and make it to college. And then also to lead in this year's sports."
The Sweetwater School District has designated Granger Junior High as one of the first 12 schools to participate in its new "Community Schools" program, which will provide additional resources for students who need extra support.
"A community school provides resources to students that focus on kids at risk and may need extra support," said Elva Lopez-Zepeda, Board President of the Sweetwater Union High School District.
The district will also be investing millions of dollars into revitalizing the Granger Junior High campus over the next year.
Lopez-Zepeda said the district will also introduce its Middle College program, which will offer students courses that earn college credits. She added that there will be more opportunities for students to learn technical skills, ranging from automotive to culinary, as well as government jobs, to prepare them for various career paths.
"Our data shows that we are getting more kids college-ready," Lopez-Zepeda said.
The district is also expanding its nutrition program to ensure students stay fed and ready to learn throughout the school year. Lopez-Zepeda said last year the district served 4.1M meals. However, this year, the district is on track to serve 4.5M meals to the students in the district.
