Former students, faculty, and staff recently returned to Sunnyvale School District (SSD) to help us celebrate our 125th birthday, with some guests having been affiliated with the district since the 1960s! Guests also included current school district personnel, families, and community partners.
The birthday celebration was held at Bishop Elementary School’s historic auditorium. Students led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance and recited the District’s Land Acknowledgement, which recognizes the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe who stewarded the land long before our schools were built upon it. A video captured memories of the past and hopes for the future as our district starts its next century of serving children.
Speakers started with former SSD Trustee Reid Meyers, who shared historical insights about our region from historian Michael Malone. She noted that when the earliest students attended school, bears, and elk traversed the Baylands a short distance away, while today’s students sit just up the road from companies like Nvidia, whose AI technology impacts student learning every time they use the Internet.
Trustee Nancy Newkirk spoke about the district’s evolution. Even in the earliest days, the Encina School District (eventually renamed Sunnyvale School District) was a center point of community engagement, a value that continues to shape today’s practices.
Dr. Christina Ballantyne, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, recognized the district for embracing student-centered educational practices to create a safe, inclusive, anti-racist climate that celebrates every student’s strengths and identity.
Retired SSD teacher, Ann McCarty, named the rapid rise of technology in schools as the most dramatic change impacting learning and family communication. She made a critical point: “Technology has changed the look of education, but it has not changed the heart of it.”
Theresa Wilson, district alumna and former Corporate Community Affairs Manager for AMD shared how the company’s K-12 charitable giving was shaped with guidance from Sunnyvale School District educators, and gave a brief history of broader community partnerships in the district.
David Vossbrink, former City of Sunnyvale Communications and Community Relations Officer, named local businesses, nonprofit agencies, service clubs, and universities that have boosted learning and wellness in the district, noting that partnerships increase understanding and broaden perspectives. “Partnerships make us better,” he said.
The event ended with a social hour and refreshments as guests mingled and shared their memories. A special thank you to the Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum for curating a display table filled with historic artifacts from the early days of education.
PLEASE SHARE your district memories as well! We would love to hear from you!
