Lea este artículo en español aquí.
Hollister High School student Julia Nordstrom spent two weeks conducting and compiling a survey of youth on what activities and services they wanted in the community. She presented her results to the Hollister City Council on April 6.
The project was just one example of the dozens of civic-minded projects students have conducted in the past four years as part of the State Seal of Civic Engagement, spearheaded by Hollister High counselor Heather Nichols since 2022.
Students earn the state seal by having a grade point average of 2.0 or higher, earning a C or better in U.S. history and U.S. government classes, participating in at least one civic engagement project and producing a reflection assignment.
Thanks to Nichols’ leadership, the program has grown from 30 participants to 193 earning the California Department of Education’s State Seal of Civic Engagement through their community projects, which range from setting up food-drop offs to speaking to middle school students about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
In recognition of the increased student participation, Nichols was among the seven “Newsworthy Honorees” at BenitoLink’s Press-Tigious ceremony on April 25.
The survey conducted by Nordstrom found that Hollister youth want a greater range of outdoor activities, entertainment and food options. More than 220 Hollister High students and nearly 150 middle school students participated in the survey.
The high school students identified hiking/walking trails, ziplines and mini golf as the top three activities they were interested in having in the community.
Nordstrom told BenitoLink it took two weeks to conduct and compile the survey results.
“I really appreciate the support I received from both Hollister Mayor Roxanne Stephens and Heather Nichols,” she said.
Nordstrom said she first wanted to look into the Riverview Regional Park project, but after speaking with Stephens she set her focus on youth services.
The students surveyed also expressed desire for a large outdoor multipurpose sports area, a community swimming pool in addition to Hollister High’s existing aquatic facility, and a go-kart track.
Councilmember Rudy Picha said at the April 6 meeting that the students had “great ideas” while noting some activities already exist in the county such as hiking and a disc golf course but “maybe they could be a little bit better.”
Nonprofit REACH San Benito Parks Foundation compiled a list of 29 parks within San Benito County, ranging from national and state parks to neighborhood facilities.
With regard to entertainment, the survey revealed an arcade, bowling alley and trampoline park as the top three entertainment options the responding students want to see established in the community.
Councilmember Priscilla De Anda said the survey results got her nostalgic.
“We used to have a bowling alley, we used to have an arcade, we used to have live bands,” she said. “It was so much fun.”
Good Times Bowl in Hollister closed its doors in August 2005. It was located in the building now occupied by Hollister Powersports on San Felipe Road. Good Times opened in 1963 as Family Bowl.
In her presentation, Nordstrom included an extensive list of the activities students wanted in the community, ranging from music to pet cafes.
“The one suggestion that wasn’t as popular but that I really liked was a petting zoo, which I think would fit the environment of Hollister with our agricultural and animal focus,” she said.
When it came to dining options in the area, students’ top three choices were Chick-Fil-A, a buffet, and Raising Cane’s.
Other businesses that were popular were In-N-Out, Chili’s, and frozen yogurt.
Food was also a leading theme for community events. Nordstrom said students’ top two choices were cultural food festivals and community cooking and music lessons.
“I think it would be a great way to appreciate all the different cultures in Hollister,” she said about the food festival.
Middle school students who were surveyed identified rock climbing, an archery range, laser tag and escape rooms among the activities they’d like to be offered.
Nordstrom told BenitoLink the next steps are partnering with organizations such as REACH and the Chamber of Commerce to bring some of the activities and services that were identified by the students into the community.
At the City Council meeting, Councilmember Dolores Morales said the data Nordstrom compiled provides insights as the city works on its strategic plan and wondered out loud how the city would use the information to come up with an action plan.
We need your help. Support local, nonprofit news! BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website that reports on San Benito County. Our team is committed to this community and providing essential, accurate information to our fellow residents. Producing local news is expensive, and community support keeps the news flowing. Please consider supporting BenitoLink, San Benito County’s public service nonprofit news.
You must be logged in to post a comment.