Clovis Unified Holds General Session Rally

Superintendent Dr. Eimear O’Brien spoke to the large group, around 6000 strong in attendance. Photo JT Gomez, Clovis Roundup

Clovis Unified School District held their annual back to school General Session Rally on Tuesday August 16th.

Held at the Save Mart Center, different school staff from all areas in the Clovis Unified School District were in attendance to celebrate the coming of the new school year. The Clovis East Marching Band and their director Marco Malone, opened the ceremony with a playing of the National Anthem. Then speakers including Deputy Superintendent Norm Anderson spoke about how the district feels beginning the 2022-2023 school year.

“At Clovis Unified, it’s always been about the relationships, the teamwork, the trust that we have in each other, that makes us special,” Anderson reiterated to the crowd.

Associate Superintendent of Administrative Services Michael Johnston thanked the Foundation of Clovis Schools for their efforts and dedication to CUSD just before each respective area of CUSD was honored.

It was also publicly announced that District Board Member Betsy Sandoval will be retiring at the end of her term in November of this year. This has been the 38th year of Sandoval’s service to the school district.

The stage then housed each principal from each school in every area from CUSD including Clovis, Clovis North, Clovis East, Clovis West, Buchanan, and Special Ed Services.

Each area’s high school mascot then played part in a “Masked Singer” competition, where songs were sung aloud to the audience.

Superintendent Dr. Eimear O’Brien then spoke to the large group, around 6000 strong in attendance.

When speaking aloud, O’Brien mentioned “Doc” Buchanan and the lessons learned from the Clovis Unified legend. “I have to tell you that I’ve learned so many things from that man that have stayed with me that are way more than all the lessons I’ve learned. In the last few years as we’ve navigated a lot of turbulence in the world, I will tell you that that attitude served me well and served our team well as we focused on what we could do rather than what we couldn’t do.”

After speaking about the future of the upcoming school year, O’Brien mentioned again the mission statement of the like that Clovis Unified intends to run with for the future year. “Building Tomorrow Today” seems to be the battle cry of sorts for the school district, and the hope is that they will be able to fulfill that phrase by the work and the attention they plan to put into their students.

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JT is a recent college grad with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication. He is mainly interested in sports and entertainment but covers a wide array of subjects. He currently writes for the Fresno State Baseball Dugout Club. JT looks forward to continuing his career at the Clovis Roundup and is excited to be working closely with a community that is very proud of its people.