November 6, 2022

We are just wrapping up a VERY BUSY WEEK at Aragon!  

• Halloween Rally & Costume Contest

• CCS Volleyball Games 

• Aragon Expo Night for 8th Grade Families

• Spirit Week

• Homecoming (HoCo) Rally

• Homecoming Football Game & Senior Night Celebrations for Dance Team, Cheer, and Football

• Homecoming Dance @ AHS

The theme for this message is one of HUGE THANKS to our community members for all of their support and hard work this week in pulling off these activities - and welcoming record-setting crowds to these events!

To CHRISTINE GRANT, our ATHLETIC BOOSTERS, and everyone who helped us pivot our big AHS vs. HHS game this past Friday: our students, families, athletes, community, and administration cannot thank you enough for helping with this amazing (and last-minute) location change.  A change in venue isn’t just a matter of calling our transportation department for another bus (which, in itself, can be a logistical trial - thank you TINA MARTINEZ!!), but it also meant moving BBQs, moving pre-staged food, shifting our staff, engaging the SMHS facilities crew and administration in getting their facility ready for the event.  They had planned for up to 1,200 in attendance, and supported well over DOUBLE that number at the event - and shopped for additional food all throughout the game to make sure we were all fed!!  AMAZING!!!

To HEATHER STRETCH, our brand new ACTIVITIES DIRECTOR, her ASB & LEADERSHIP students, and the entire AHS FACILITIES TEAM: planning and hosting one rally requires some serious planning and logistical support.  This week, Ms. Stretch and her students planned one outdoor rally AND our first indoor rally in three years AND a site-based HOMECOMING DANCE that hosted over 1,100 students - and it was well-supported by our own facilities team.  Truly awe-inspiring!!

We are also noticing a big trend in event attendance this year.  For the large events we hosted this week, we had record attendance at each event:

• AHS Expo Night (for incoming 8th Grade Families): over 900 guests were in attendance - we didn’t have room for them all in the theater, but information will be posted for families this weekend.

• AHS vs. HHS Football Game: AHS has the largest student enrollment and perhaps the smallest stadium seating capacity in the district.  We have seating for about 650 total in our stands (500 on the home side and about 150 on the visiting side).  After moving the game to San Mateo HS, we were able to accommodate many more in the stands - and had over 2,500 people attend the JV and Varsity games - more than TRIPLE what we can safely accommodate at AHS.

• Homecoming Dance: Last year, we held the dance in Center Court and welcomed 919 students (a record-breaker); this year, we sold over 1,100 tickets and hosted the event in both gyms.

We are incredibly thankful to Superintendent Booker and the San Mateo Union High School District Board for supporting us in hiring additional security and police officers for these events, and SMHS Principal Yvonne Shiu and her facilities crew for their support in moving the football game to SMHS this past Friday night.

Additionally, we are also learning that, in these post-shut-down school days, if we build an activity, it will be very well attended!  This will result in additional creative thinking and shifting of activities to larger venues in the coming months and years, and we will continue to balance the tradition of hosting events on our site with the desire to welcome our entire community to events AND the necessity of maintaining a safe and healthy environment for all those in attendance.

• Cross Country: CCS Championship Meet will be held on Saturday, November 12 - participants will be determined on Monday, November 7.
• Football:  Our season has ended with the AHS v. HHS game.  
• Golf: Our season has ended with the CCS Championship Tournament on November 1.  See results linked here.
• Tennis: 1st Round CCS on November 14. Girls Single bracket linked here.  Our team and doubles season has ended.
• Volleyball: Our girls WON the CCS Division 2 Championship on Saturday, November 5!  AHS is hosting Clovis HS in ROUND 1 of the NORCAL Regional Playoffs on Thursday, 11/8 @ 6pm.  Watch our progress on the playoff bracket here.  Tickets available only through GOFAN.
• Waterpolo: Our girls season ended with league play; our boys season has ended in CCS Quarterfinals.

• Monday, 11/7: EVEN BLOCK SCHEDULE
• Friday, 11/11: No School; Campus Closed for Veteran's Day Holiday
• Tuesday, 11/22: 1-7 Period Regular Schedule
• Wed-Fri, 11/23-25: No School; Campus Closed for Thanksgiving

There are MANY upcoming events on the calendar.  Please check them out on the calendars linked below:

Thank you,

Valerie Arbizu

Principal