By DAVD NYGREN
May 15–May is typically the busiest month of the year for schools, as the end is quickly approaching and there are so many awards, field trips, presentations, the “last” of everything for the year. For Santa Lucia Middle School it is no different. We had an end of the year celebration field trip to the beach for our Leadership Students this week, and we are headed to Boomers in Santa Maria for a fourth quarter Rewards Trip this week for those students who are academically and behaviorally eligible for the entire school day. Students are finishing up the CAASPP testing that the state requires and they have been working hard, so it is time to blow off some steam.
Open house is coming up next week and we will grill hamburgers and hot dogs while parents tour the gym to look at student projects and artwork. Eighth graders will be presenting themselves as famous people as they enact their Biography Projects. The SLMS Yearbook is outstanding this year, and students are looking forward to receiving and signing them during the last week of school.
We also have Field Day coming up and SLMS’s four color teams will compete in physical and mental challenges all day to earn points for their teams. The PE Rewards Trip to a gymnastics facility is a bonus for students who excel in the athletic arena through good sportsmanship, team play, and achievement and is happening next week; it is always a highlight.
A Rewards Trip is planned for eighth graders to Universal Studios where we will stay overnight and do K1 racing the next day on the way back. Our Promotion Ceremony is on Tuesday, June 3, and we will miss the class of 2025 as they move on to high school.
As we wrap up the year on June 4, we have a chance to reflect on all the accomplishments and learning experiences students have had throughout the year. We began the year hearing from Homero Magana, a U.S. immigrant who went from picking crops in the hot son to earning his master’s degree in counseling and is now working at a college. He spoke at assemblies for students and parents, inspiring everyone to shoot for their goals to live their dreams.
In September, we had a bounce house and water slides as an after-school leadership event, and it was a big hit with the students. Seventh graders went to the Catalina Island Marine Institute in October and had a great time for three days learning about sea life, snorkeling, and kayaking. Challenge Day came to us in November with the challenge to really get to know each other and realize our similarities, and to be kind to everyone.
This year we created a school Mariachi band, and students performed for the board meeting in November. We read the school-wide novel, The Refugee by Alan Gratz and we had refugees from Afghanistan, Syria, and Ukraine speak to our students about their experiences immigrating to the U.S.
SLMS’s sports teams all did well, from several first-through-third place finishes in Cross Country; the Volleyball team came in second place overall in League; the Boys Basketball team finished in second place, while Girls Basketball finished in third place; and a record number of students turned out for soccer. We took the entire school roller-skating as a Rewards Trip with many students trying the sport for the first time.
We rejuvenated our school garden, had a Gardening Club every Wednesday at lunch with One Cool Earth and were able to try vegetables that we grew. We had the establishment of a new club, D & D, and the students enjoyed learning about roll–playing games. Overall, it was an amazing year as we look towards summer break and another year ahead.
David Nygren is the Santa Lucia Middle School Principal
