Alta Vista celebrates Day of Awesomeness ahead of closure

It was not the end of the school year Alta Vista Community Charter School families were expecting, but thanks to efforts from their Parent Teacher Club, they are trying to making the best of it for the students. Last month, the Auburn Union School District Board of Trustees voted 3-2 to close the school in an effort to save money for the district. They claimed there wasn't a high-enough student enrollment to keep the program running next year. "Our parents donate lots of money to our school, and we want to make sure our current students are benefiting from that," Principal Diana Wilson said. Bucks Booster Club, the local PTC, has been planning a number of special events for students to celebrate the school ahead of its closure. "We are really just trying to focus on the students we are serving this year," Wilson said. "Every single day, we are making a difference in their lives and the school closure doesn't change anything for this school year. We are business as usual with a little extra celebration sprinkled in." This week, that meant a field filled with bouncy fun as students played life-sized foosball, took on the Toxic Plunge or raced with other classmates on multiple blow-up obstacle courses. The Bucks Boosters hosted a Day of Awesomeness on Thursday. "We were getting toward the end of the year and we had already done fundraising for the next year," Bucks Booster Club President Mallery Buckman said. "When we were told we weren't going to be open next year, we decided to put as much into our kids as we can." In addition to the bounce houses, snow cones and money wheel, the Bucks Booster Club also sent the Alta Vista fifth-graders on an all-expenses-paid two-night science camp to experience the Redwoods. "We are just trying to finish the year on a positive note for our kids," Buckman said. "We want to try and create some memories for them to keep of Alta Vista before they go on to whatever comes next." For some families like Buckman, that answer hasn't been decided. "It's been really hard," Buckman said. "When I chose Alta Vista, I spent a lot of time choosing this school. Now we have to adjust our mindset and figure out what comes next because I'm not sure yet. It will be hard choosing something different next year and starting over." For the school staff and Bucks Booster Club, the focus remains on a strong and memorable conclusion to the Alta Vista Community Charter School story.