The Santa Maria Valley’s newest elementary school was dedicated Wednesday in honor of two brothers who worked in local fields as children and credit education for their escape from poverty.
Approximately 300 people gathered at Roberto and Dr. Francisco Jimenez Elementary School for the dedication ceremony held two weeks before the first students arrive on Aug. 11.
Francisco Jimenez sat next to Darlene Jimenez, the widow of Roberto Jimenez, a long-time Santa Maria-Bonita School District employee who died in December at the age of 75.
“Today, we honor brothers who not only attended Santa Maria schools, but who went on to become successful and respected leaders in their careers, communities and families,” said Jody Oliver, Santa Maria-Bonita school board present. “In their personal and professional lives, they have constantly reflected their values for hard work, family, respect and responsibility, and life-long learning through education.”
Roberto and Francisco were the oldest children of migrant farm workers who immigrated from Mexico and traveled from town to town following the work. The brothers started in the fields at ages 6 and 8.
As youths they toiled in the fields before and often school, yet still graduated from Main Street School, El Camino Junior High School and Santa Maria High School.
While still in high school, Roberto Jimenez worked as a janitor, cleaning local offices and classrooms. He took evening classes and earned his associate of arts from Allan Hancock College.
In all, he spent 40 years employed by the district, rising through the ranks to become a purchasing department supervisor before retiring in 1995.
He reportedly is the first classified employee in the Santa Maria-Bonita district to have a school named for him.
Author and educator Francisco Jimenez, 72, was student body president before he graduated from Santa Maria High in 1962.
Thanks to scholarships, he attended Santa Clara University, majoring in Spanish studies and history. He went to Columbia University and received a master’s degree and doctorate in Latin American literature.
After teaching at Columbia, he returned to Santa Clara University, filling various roles including professor, department director and an associate vice president.
Francisco Jimenez shared his family’s story in award-winning autobiographical books including The Circuit: Stories from the Life of Migrant Child, Breaking Through, Reaching Out and Taking Hold.
He visits schools throughout the country to discuss his writings and shares about the power of education.
The importance of education is evident by the fact five Jimenez family members work as teachers in the Santa Maria-Bonita district, Oliver said, as the audience applauded.
Darlene Jimenez expressed the family’s gratitude for recognizing her husband and his brother.
Working for the district allowed her husband to break out of poverty and reach his goals, Darlene Jimenez said, adding that the brothers — who also were best friends — often told their story during visits to classrooms.
“They shared with students that anything is possible if they work hard and learn from their amazing teachers, who are here to help them,” she added.
Francisco Jimenez noted his older brother was “a second father to me, a role model and a guiding star,” so it’s fitting they are joined together for the school’s name.
“The love and respect we had for each other and our work for, and commitment to. education are now symbolically and literally set in stone, if you will,” Francisco Jimenez said.
The recognition also belonged to their parents, who worked to secure a better life for their children and future generations, he said.
“Furthermore, this school dedication also honors our teachers, past and present, who made a difference in our lives,” Francisco Jimenez said. “Roberto’s life and mine, as well as the life of our siblings, are rooted in the classrooms of the dedicated, selfless and caring teachers of the Santa Maria-Bonita public schools.”
Jimenez School, as it will be known, will be the first in the district to offer lessons with classes in Spanish as the target language for families that have chosen to participate in the dual-language immersion program, Principal Richard Ruiz said. He added the program will lead to students bilingual and bi-literate in both English and Spanish.
Francisco Jimenez commended the district for designating the campus as the home to its first dual-language immersion program.
“I strongly believe that the exposure of another culture and language opens children’s hearts and minds to cultural and linguistic differences,” he said. “It encourages them to respect and learn from each other.”
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.