Oct. 31, 2024
New parking lots aren’t typically celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, but the redesigned and expanded parking area and family drop-off area at Hillside Elementary School was worthy of an exception.
“Once we saw the end result, we said, ‘You know, this parking lot means a whole lot for this community and this school,” said Dr. Daryl Camp, superintendent of the San Lorenzo Unified School District, as he joined with families, district employees and community members at a dedication event on Oct. 30.
The improvement, one of many at Hillside in recent decades, transformed traffic flow and safety for the school at 15980 Marcella St. in San Leandro, greatly improved wheelchair access and provided 14 more parking spaces, for a total of 52, including four ADA spaces, plus a new school sign.
Long delayed because of its complexity, the project also was a marvel of planning and teamwork. Construction began on the day after the 2023-24 school year ended and work being completed in the early morning before students and families returned for the first day of 2024-25. The schedule included six-day weeks and frequent double-shifts over the course of just 69 days.
“I can’t think of a better investment than to invest in our schools and our students,” Dr. Camp said. “They are truly our present and our future. We need them to be successful and have learning spaces that meet their needs.”
The ribbon-cutting, culminating a project funded by the $130 million Measure B bond that voters approved in 2018, came just days before the passage of Measure Q, which will provide $195 million for continued improvement and modernization of the district’s 16 schools.
It is part of a string of improvements at Hillside going back nearly 25 years, including a two-story classroom building in 2000, a new library completed in 2011 and more recently a new playground. Still to come is a new, grant-funded heating and air-conditioning system for the entire school, with expected completion in February.
The school is also notable for having the highest percentage of Latino and Black students among all 16 San Lorenzo Schools, and also the largest portion of families who are socioeconomically disadvantage.
Hillside Principal Dr. Moraima Machado spoke during the ceremony to thank the district for the improvements and emphasize how much they mean to her school community, including its many longtime teachers and staff and its partner organizations.
“Every school, every student no matter what ZIP code, they deserve this,” she said.
Machado introduced Hillside parents Violeta Carranza and Alejandro Frias, whose four sons have all attended the school, including a current first-grader, a sixth-grader at Edendale Middle School, a 10th-grader at Arroyo High School and a 22-year-old who is out in the workforce.
Both parents spoke, and Frias said, “I’ve seen tremendous changes in this place. None of this will happen if people don’t give or provide the support to the school.”