The summer of 2022 was all about making new changes to improve the campus of Selma High. What was once an unlively campus now has much to offer as a visual representation of SHS. Major remodeling projects included the repainting of the school using spirit colors, the resurfacing of the tennis courts, the dartboard, an enclosure of the entire school, and the progressing Career Technical Education (CTE) building.
The collective intent of these changes was to provide an environment in which students become more able to feel comfortable in. Although schools are subject to daily wear and tear, it is important to keep the campus looking and feeling fresh. A clean, nice-looking environment is a key component to offering an ideal learning environment for students.
“I want students to feel good about coming to school,” SHS Principal Dr. Pickle says, “When students feel good about coming to school, they will do better. They do better, be better, and achieve more.”
The principal’s philosophy is to provide the utmost preeminent school and material for students. “Students deserve better, and even when students are given better, they deserve better,” Dr. Pickle sternly emphasizes.
Dr. Pickle is calling his staff to task on giving students better, in terms of education quality and environmentally. If students and faculty work together to lift each other up to perform better they, as a whole, will achieve better.
In addition to the outdoor changes, there are changes being made to classrooms. Different pieces of furniture are starting to be replaced within rooms and tables are being added, this is to add to the overall contentment being received by students.
Emilio Herrera, a junior, appreciated the changes, although they didn’t affect him personally. “It makes me believe that Dr. Pickle is actually trying to do something to change how Selma is, unlike the last few principals,” Herrera stated.
“The campus looks cleaner and more well kept. I do like that it looks better and there hasn’t been much trash around,” expressed Juliet Escovedo, a junior.
Many teachers had various opinions regarding these alterations.
“I like [the changes] very much, I believe it was long overdue,” states Lonny Johnson, a social studies teacher. He hopes for students to see that lots of people care for this campus, as this is a place we all have to come to everyday, and recognize that they should look after it as well.
Andrea Carrillo, a math teacher, had, at first, a conflicting opinion when she first returned to campus. “The orange paint was a huge change to our campus. I did not know how to feel about it at first, but I love it now. Our school colors around campus show our school pride! I am proud to be a Selma Bear,” Carillo states.
An additional campus beautification project is undergoing. There is an outdoor learning center in the midst of being constructed. This will be an area in which teachers can perhaps take students outside to learn on a day with nice weather, or for students to find a place to study during their free time.
The school is done making changes for this year, but it is hoped to continue the furthering development of our school within the coming years. These changes may be a mark of a new era of positivity and furthering of academia within the campus.