San Benito High School (California)
San Benito High School (SBHS) is a school in Hollister, California, United States. It serves as the primary high school for Hollister city residents and most county residents and is within the San Benito Joint Union High School District. The school's enrollment is approximately 3,400 students, served by 250 faculty and staff. History. The San Juan school district was created in 1852, and split off the Hollister school district in 1869. High school education in Hollister began in 1875 alongside the grammar school located at First Street and San Benito Street. Hollister school district  built another schoolhouse in 1875, and expanded the original building in 1881. During this time, education was not mandatory nor was it free, and enrollment remained relatively low for years. Attendance increased as Hollister grew. A new school building was commissioned in 1908 and completed the following year, during Hollister's post-earthquake construction period that also built Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital and City Hall. This is still used as the main administration building. Further construction brought the O'Donnell Gym and Davis Library. But most of the facilities were destroyed in a fire in 1955, with only the administration offices  surviving. Repairs were made, and further expansions over the years, including an extension to the library after 1980. In the 2000s there were more than 120 classrooms, with thousands of students and hundreds of faculty. Academics. San Benito High School runs on an alternating block schedule split into "red days," periods 1 through 3, and "white days," periods 4 through 6. The days are named after the school's main colors. Each block is 100 minutes long, except for the 1st block of the day (1st and 4th period) which is 105 minutes to allow the reading of the school  bulletin. There is also an optional, 65-minute 0 (zero) period, that is run before school, Tuesday through Friday. The school offers standard general education courses, 15 Advanced Placement courses, and many electives. Electives include arts such as ceramics, drama, choir, and band; language electives such as Modern American Literature and Shakespeare; and technical and vocational courses like auto shop. The school also prides itself on its large student government and leadership class. SBHS has been a member school of the California Association of Student Councils since 1994. Some of the more active electives are agricultural classes, computer/business classes , and Hispanic Studies classes, such as Hispanic Literature and Chicano History. Dancing for Diana. In early 2010, San Benito High School's Associated Student Body came together to help raise money for Diana Magaña, who at the time was a freshman student who was battling cancer. The ASB set a goal of $15,000, and ended up surpassing this with an end amount of over $22,000. The students put together a viral dancing video which reached all over the globe. This, along with their Benefit Ball dance, helped the surrounding community come together and raise money for Diana. In  February 2012, Diana died at the age of 17. Athletics. The schools athletics teams are known by the school's mascot, the Haybaler, or more commonly the 'Balers. The school's colors are red, white, and black. It is common for teams to be referred to as either the San Benito 'Balers or Hollister 'Balers, and both are considered acceptable. The team competes in 13 sports in the Monterey Bay League as part of the Central Coast Section. The arch rival for the Balers is the Gilroy Mustangs. The team's annual football game is called the Prune Bowl, named  for the trees that used to line Highway 25, which connects the two cities. San Benito has dominated the game in recent years, winning eight of the past ten games and holding a 30-23-1 advantage since the VFW Memorial Trophy came into existence in 1956. The trophy goes annually to the game's winner. In the 2006-07 season, much history was made at the school. The volleyball team won the CCS title for the first time in school history in the fall, and the boys' and girls' water polo teams hosted and won a CCS playoff game  for the first time. The girls soccer team won their first league title in school history and hosted a CCS game for the first time in the Andy Hardin stadium. The spring was particularly kind, with the 'Balers winning five league titles (boys' track, girls' track, boys' swimming, baseball, and softball). The baseball team advanced to its first-ever CCS championship game, where it lost to Valley Christian. The softball beat Carlmont for its second straight CCS title. Its championship in 2005-06 was the school's first softball title. The team finished the season ranked 50th in the country  by Student Sports. The baseball and softball teams reaching the finals in the same season marks only the eighth time in CCS history that has occurred. Only the 2005 Archbishop Mitty teams have been able to win both titles. Prune Bowl history. In 2008, both the boys' and girls' track teams won TCAL titles making it the second straight for the girls and the seventh straight for the boys. Also in 2008, the girls' softball team went undefeated in TCAL play, the first team to do so in the history of the league.