Graduation debacle prompts gym expansion talks

Seen outside the San Benito High School varsity gym on Friday are disappointed family members of graduating seniors who were unhappy that the graduation ceremony was moved indoors. (Staff photo by Francisco E. Jimenez)

Seen outside the San Benito High School varsity gym on Friday are disappointed family members of graduating seniors who were unhappy that the graduation ceremony was moved indoors. (Staff photo by Francisco E. Jimenez)

By MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ
Managing Editor
editor@sbnewspaper.com

There were many lessons to be learned from Friday evening’s San Benito High School Graduation Ceremony debacle, but officials may revisit a past concern in an effort to prevent another “chaotic” situation from occurring.

The ceremony was originally scheduled for 8 p.m. on June 7 at Bobby Morrow Stadium, that is before a thunderstorm swept across the area, bringing with it heavy rain, wind and lightning that prompted San Benito CISD officials and high school administrators to go with “plan B” – otherwise known as the varsity gymnasium.

With just two individuals per graduate allowed in the gym due to accommodation restrictions, not to mention many seniors failing to give their parents the tickets needed for entry, nearly 200 people found themselves outside the facility and peering into its glass doors in hopes of catching a glimpse of the proceedings. Many in attendance, including students, expressed frustration over the situation by heckling school board members, district officials and faculty. Some even encouraged graduates to walk out on their own ceremony while, in at least one case, a complaint was made that the gym exceeded its maximum occupancy and constituted a fire code violation.

School board members then decided to postpone the event until 9 a.m. Saturday at the original site, Bobby Morrow Stadium. The decision was better received as the second attempt at holding the ceremony did not experience any of the previous evening’s problems.

Still, there are some who argue that the gym, which was built to accommodate 4A events when the high school was erected in 1978, requires an expansion.

The idea of expanding the gym to more adequately accommodate a graduation ceremony, if needed, is one that Board of Trustees Secretary June Aguilera is willing to consider.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.sbnewspaper.com/2013/06/12/11206/

5 comments

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    • Noah Y. on June 19, 2013 at 10:01 am
    • Reply

    The district needs to conduct an assessment of all buildings…. Only in SBCISD do they not plan accordingly just like sbhs graduation.

  1. This event was obviously a great disappointment to those who missed out. As you suggest, it seems to offer us the opportunity to consider a redevelopment of a facility that is, after all, 35 years old. The school’s and commmunity needs have changed a lot since then, so we should be looking to the future.

      • Think About It on June 19, 2013 at 12:32 pm
      • Reply

      Redevelopment? As far as I have been able to tell there is still a hardwood floor even in the most modern of gyms. So, how do you justify spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a new gym. The proper decision was to SIMPLY reschedule graduation to the following day. There is absolutely no need to spend so much money on a new or modernized facility. A new facility cannot be used as a tool to cover up the inefficiency of an old.

    • Trey on June 12, 2013 at 9:31 pm
    • Reply

    The cost of a gym is in the millions. Where does June A plan to get this money? Oh the same place she wants to get it for the DMI INtegral Project! Sure hope she runs for reelection, NOT!!!

    • Rudy S. on June 12, 2013 at 7:02 pm
    • Reply

    Really June a.????The mess on Friday was because the high school administration could not make a decision early enough. Board members had NO BUSINESS talking to students, parents, or ADministrstion. Get a clue… You do not work for the district and you are not the superintendent!
    My tax money spending on a new gym first needs to go through a study before anything else.
    Only in SAN BENITO where things are not thought through!!!!

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