BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Garces Memorial High School still plans to open on schedule in the fall. In a statement released on Friday, the school announced that it plans to reopen the campus on August 4th.
"As a new school year approaches, we are ready to get back on campus and get back to work in a safe manner. While the situation is still fluid, we wanted to let you know of our tentative plan," read the statement.
The school has been working with the Diocese of Fresno to make sure proper safety measures are taken to protect students and faculty, which includes everyone wearing a mask at all times. The school will also be sanitized daily and regular temperature checks will take place.
In addition, to maintain social distancing regulations, the school will be limiting enrollment for the 2020-21 school year.
"While we have adjusted the layout of our campus and our classrooms, we want to ensure our students and families that our commitment to education remains the same," said the statement.
You can read the full statement below:
COVID-19 has not slowed down Garces Memorial High School students. When the pandemic began, our students and teachers moved to remote learning seamlessly and continued their education without missing a beat, including receiving actual grades for their hard work. But now, as a new school year approaches, we are ready to get back on campus and get back to work in a safe manner. While the situation is still fluid, we wanted to let you know of our tentative plan.
As of now, Garces Memorial High School plans to reopen campus by the first day of school on August 4th. As you might expect, this school year will look different from years past. We have been working with the Diocese of Fresno to ensure we take the proper safety measures and are following social distancing guidelines upon our return to campus. All persons on campus MUST wear a mask at ALL times, class sizes will be limited to ensure social distancing, the entire campus will be sanitized daily and temperature checks will take place regularly.
At Garces Memorial High School, we pride ourselves on our family-like atmosphere and in times of need, family is there. We are here for our Garces family, and we are ready. Our faculty and staff have been hard at work since March learning how to adapt to this new world we are living in and learning in. While we have adjusted the layout of our campus and our classrooms, we want to ensure our students and families that our commitment to education remains the same. We will continue to hold our students to the highest standards academically, socially and spiritually. With that, a big concern for many at the end of the 2019-2020 school year was the grading system. Garces Memorial is a college-preparatory high school that prepares our students for the real world. Our students work incredibly hard throughout the year to maintain their grades. We gave out letter grades throughout the pandemic and will continue to do so throughout the 2020-2021 school year.
To maintain social distancing regulations, we are limiting our enrollment for the 2020-2021 school year. If you are interested in enrolling your child at Garces Memorial High School for the 2020-2021 school year, please contact our admissions director Mr. Eric Coleman at ecoleman@garces.org.
