New Loritta Bonfante Johnson Education Center houses Central High School
Published in the Oct. 2-15, 2013 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Marty Cheek
Students and Morgan Hill community leaders mingled at a special barbecue lunch celebration of the relocation of Central High School and the dedication of the Loritta Bonfante Johnson Education Center Sept. 26.
Chamber of Commerce President and CEO John Horner, with scissors, cuts the ribbons of the new Loritta Bonfante Johnson Education Center, the new name of the old Burnett school site. The new center will house Central high School students.
A ribbon-cutting under a rainbow arch of blue and gold balloons marked the transition of the former Burnett Elementary School facility at 85 Tilton Ave. to become the new location of Morgan Hill’s continuation school.
During the past several months, the facility underwent an extensive $7 million remodel project that has made it one of the most modern campuses in the Morgan Hill Unified School District. The improvements, which include upgraded computer and communication technology and a science lab facility, was paid for by funds from Measure G passed by voters last November.
Morgan Hill Mayor Steve Tate praised Bonfante Johnson’s many years dedicated to teaching in the district.
“You can’t say enough about the naming of this facility for Loritta,” he told the crowd. “Pretty much all of you probably knew Loritta Bonfante Johnson because she was everywhere. If you volunteered for anything, then you knew Loritta because she volunteered for everything. She was really an inspiration for many of us.”
Lance LaShelle, Johnson’s son, recalled happy memories for him at the campus where his mother taught.
“I never attended this campus as a student, but my mother taught here quite often during her 37-year career,” he said. “My mother developed many techniques here for the special education program, techniques that are still used today. With this honor for my mom I’m truly humbled and proud.”
Central High School Principal Irene Macias-Morriss joked with the crowd about how a decade-long persistence paid off with the new school campus.
“Let me tell you, I have been waiting for this day for almost 10 years. I guess it pays to nag,” she said with a sly smile. “This is the kind of school our students deserve. And let me tell you, my babies back there are smiling. This is the place where they’re going to soar.”
A Central High School student celebrates under a balloon arch during a ribbon-cutting and barbecue Sept. 26. The former Burnett Elementary School was renamed the Loritta Bonfante Johnson Education Center.
Central High School senior Christina Gonzalez, president of the school’s Interact leadership club and also a member of the naming committee, praised the amenities of the campus including the modern classrooms and the nicer grounds.
“We have a lot of new things at this school that we didn’t have at the old Central,” she said. “I think that this year with more help from our community that we will have more graduates this year. That’s something that as a student makes me feel very proud that my classmates will do better.”
Students at Central are special to the Morgan Hill Kiwanis Club, said club member Jim Krause who helped prepare the hot-dog and hamburger barbecue for the celebration.
“These kids really, really deserve it,” he said. “ I’ve met a lot of them because we’ve had a lot of them at our meetings who come for our scholarships. Their stories are amazing. You give them a second chance and they come through.”
