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Sounds of bubbling laughter, spirited chatter and the clomping of footsteps across the blacktop filled the air along with the smell of country hay and blooming clovers as Spring Grove School marked an important milestone on April 19.
The California Distinguished School of San Benito County celebrated its 50th Anniversary with festivities and memorabilia for the community to share memories and laughs, and learn about the origins of the place that helped shape and grow the minds of those who attended the school over the decades.
The community enjoyed games in the sun, a historical room, a face-painting station, a fifth-grade bake sale, campus tours, a youth performance, and a time capsule for students and families to put items in to be opened in 25 years.
The roots of Spring Grove and the birth of the “Tiger spirit” date back to the fall of 1975 when the school was formed from three smaller grade schools within the area: Ausaymas, Pacheco and Fairview.
Spring Grove was recognized in both 2010 and 2020 as the sole California Distinguished School in San Benito County, lauded for closing the achievement gap under the leadership of an ambitious, community-oriented teacher and mother, Jennifer Bernosky, who is now the school’s superintendent and principal.
Bernosky called the honor one of her proudest accomplishments in her 38-year career.
She said that progress is made each year in evolving the school with more ways of providing for students’ needs in programs such as After School Enrichment, Reading Intervention Support, and the AVID program.
In the past three years, new clubs have been created, including Band, the Art Club, ASB, and Tech Club designed, according to Bernosky, to build connections, creativity and skills in cultivating their passions, values and independence as individuals as well as a team.
The evolution of such programs has led to more opportunities for students, she said. Last year, for instance, 40 kids in the Tech Club got to participate in San Jose’s Tech challenge for the first time.
Reflecting on the spirit of Spring Grove’s community, Bernosky said, “We try to build community for families to be part of. I love that many of our staff and teachers want to stay here because they love to work here. And families love Spring Grove, even families from other districts want to go here.”
Julie Neff, who has been serving for 30 years at Spring Grove, teaches second grade and started the Kindness Club in 2014 in an effort to give them a sense of belonging and spread compassion, “because that’s the beauty of kindness—and it doesn’t take much to be kind.”
“It’s my home, it’s a magical place,” she said. “I call it the happiest place on Earth.”
In 2002, Bernosky started work at Spring Grove, where she was encouraged and supported by then-superintendent Evelyn Muro, to take over as principal in 2008.
“I loved helping others and it’s very rewarding to know I can be that way for others how my teachers were for me,” Bernosky said.
She said there has been continued success in closing the achievement gap, aided by 96.5% attendance over the past year and a large proportion of students becoming fluent in English within five years.
Integrity, respect, and responsibility. If my students can leave understanding these values, then I know we’ve done a good job.
Spring Grove principal Jennifer Bernosky
Above, from left, Playing beanbag toss in the Lawn Games area of Spring Grove; Left, a student face painting another; Spring Grove youth with the Tiger mascot. Photos by Angel Vieira.
The BenitoLink Internship Program is a paid, skill-building program that prepares local youth for a professional career. This program is supported by the Monterey Peninsula Foundation AT&T Golf Tour and Taylor Farms.
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