August 6, 1997

For Immediate Release (Briggs) RE: SCHOOL DISTRICT OPENS FOUR NEW SCHOOLS Chavez, Parks, Kimbrough and Clark Welcome Inaugural Students With books being placed on library shelves and computer work stations being networked, last minute preparations are being made for the opening of four new district schools that will welcome students for the first time when school begins Sept. 2. Serving the City Heights area will be Rosa Parks Elementary and Monroe Clark Middle School. Parks is named in honor of Rosa Parks for her contributions to the civil rights movement. The naming of Clark recognizes Monroe Clark, a community activist and long-time volunteer at Hoover High School. Kimbrough Elementary, named in honor of San Diego's first African American dentist, will serve residents of the Sherman Heights and Grant Hill neighborhoods. Cesar Chavez, named for the late California farm labor movement organizer, is located in Southcrest at the corner of 40th and Alpha. While every school will serve the comprehensive educational needs of its students, each school will have its own unique features. Kimbrough will be equipped with a combination library/media/ computer center which will be staffed every day with a credentialed librarian and a technology teaching specialist. It is expected to serve as the school's educational hub both during and after school hours. Clark, financed under the district's Proposition "O" funds, will also feature state-of-the-art classroom technology with five computer work stations in each classroom. It will operate an extended day program and feature a family service center and health services network. Students are assigned to "families" within academic "houses." The school expects to develop unique offerings in partnership with First Steps Literacy and Price Charities. Rosa Parks is part of the City Heights redevelopment project and is expected to serve as an after hours community center. Emilee Watts, the school's principal who was selected in a nationwide search, has been busy for the last year readying curriculum tailored to the needs of the local community. Special funding from locally-based Price Charities has helped multiply her efforts. Teachers will integrate technology into lessons through the use of five student computer work stations in each classroom. Chavez will hold a dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 31. (Note: The dedication ceremony has been changed to 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 19.) When the school opens, it will feature a MicroSociety curriculum in which students develop academic skills through creating and managing the activities of a "society in miniature" connecting learning with the "real world." Chavez will remain open between 3 and 6 p.m. and will offer programs for parents, students and other community members. All district schools will open on Sept. 2. Registration for all elementary schools will be held at school sites on Aug. 28 from 1-4 p.m. Middle and high school student registration begins Aug. 20. With the completion of the four new schools, the district will operate 164 schools and have an enrollment of approximately 137,000 students. Editors' Note: Chavez is expected to be able to move into the building on Aug. 11. Additional facts about each new school site are detailed below: Kimbrough Elementary: 321 Hoitt St., a 65,211 square foot facility with 37 classrooms, library/media center, multi-purpose room, and adjacent joint use play field; built at a cost of $7.9 million by Taylor/Ball of California; designed to accommodate 1,000 students, expected fall enrollment: 1,000; part of the San Diego High School cluster. Clark Middle: 4388 Thorn St.; a 148,368 square foot facility with 55 classrooms, library/media center, multi-purpose room, and gymnasium; built at a cost of $21.6 million by Douglas E. Barnhart, Inc., designed by architects Wolff/Lang/Christopher; designed to accommodate 1,500 students, expected fall enrollment: 1,100; Hoover High School cluster. Parks Elementary: 4510 Landis St., a 65,845 square foot facility with 41 classrooms, library/media center, multi-purpose/student dining area, outdoor amphitheater and adjacent joint-use recreation field space in City Heights Park; built at a cost of $10.3 million by Skidmore Contracting of Ontario, CA; designed to accommodate 1,000 students, expected enrollment is 1,000; Hoover High School cluster. Chavez Elementary: 1404 S. 40th St., approximately 49,000 square foot facility with 26 classrooms, library/media center, multi-purpose room; built at a cost of $7.1 million by Douglas E. Barnhart, Inc.; designed to accommodate 840 students, expected enrollment: 550, San Diego High School cluster.