The Garfield Gators Have a New, Modern Home. “The Space Inspires Me to Be Creative,” says student

As visitors walk onto the Garfield Community School campus in Menlo Park, they are greeted by the school’s historic building, which has been welcoming children every morning for close to a century. 

The historic structure was recently upgraded with several new features thanks to Redwood City School District’s (RCSD) Measure T Modernization and Construction Project. 

The project is also responsible for the next building on the school campus, a modern two-story structure towering over the front historic entrance. The new building houses the school library and several classrooms for the middle school grades. 

An amphitheater, the perfect spot for events and outdoor instruction, takes center stage between the contrast of the historic and the modern. 

The Garfield campus upgrade is part of several projects in Phase I of the school district’s Bond Program, which is modernizing and improving all schools across the school district.

Student representatives from each of the K-8 grade levels at Garfield joined Principal Lupe Torres-Khalil, Superintendent Dr. John Baker, and Board Trustees in a ribbon-cutting ceremony, marking the official opening of their modernized learning spaces. 

“My favorite feature is the bright and open classrooms,” said Garfield Student Alejandra. “The space inspires me to be creative!”

Garfield School Principal Lupe Torres-Khalil thanked attendees for believing in her students.

“These students represent all of Garfield,” she explained, pointing to the Gators ready to cut the ribbon. “We thank you for investing and believing in them, the future leaders of our community.” 

On November 3, 2015, local voters approved Measure T, a bond measure to fund facility improvements throughout RCSD. It has helped the district complete required repairs and upgrades to its facilities as most RCSD sites are 50 years old and three are more than 80 years old. A Facilities Master Plan, developed during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years, helped identify several priorities to update and repair.

Features of the Garfield Modernization and Construction Project Under Phase I Include:

New two story classroom building

New library

New amphitheater

New Child Development Center (CDC) Preschool complex with Transitional Kindergarten/Kindergarten play structures

New picnic tables

Front parking lot expansion and reconfiguration

New rear parking lot

Interim housing portables

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) upgrades

Exterior paint

Security upgrades (cameras, intrusion, door locks, fencing, and gates)

Technology and network upgrades

Fire alarm upgrades

New Electric Vehicle (EV) chargers

New kitchen walk-in cooler

Learn more about the modernization and construction project at Garfield.