“I’m really proud of this beautiful school. We did the right thing” 

DIXON, CA (MPG) - One might have expected a lot of 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th graders at the John Knight Middle School Grand Opening last week but there were few in sight. Instead, it was dozens of silver or white-haired people who came for a family reunion and a who’s who of past Dixon Unified Administration.

District Superintendent Brian Dolan opened the ceremony by welcoming everyone to the $24 million restoration project noting that if they had built a new school, it would have cost three to four times more.

“It was in bad shape; empty, vandalized, and neglected,” he said. “I’m really proud of this beautiful school. We did the right thing.” Dolan was referring to the passing of Measure Q, which passed with 60-percent approval.

“From the beginning, the primary function was to restore, renovate, and reopen the old Dixon High School campus,” he said.

Honored Leaders

Dolan recognized old and new School Board representatives, retired administrators, teachers and many staff who worked with John Knight at sometime during various positions of his District leadership.

People like former Superintendent Bill Hewitt were there and so was Sheldon Yip. Dan Rott, also a past teacher and Principal alongside Knight, was a speaker.

Citizens of the Oversight Committee were recognized for diligence in overseeing expenditures: Tad Smith, Andrea Kett, Julie Mustard, Jorjet Portier, Gary Riddle, and Jack Holman.

He recognized support from State Senator Bill Dodd, Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, County Supervisor John Vasquez, Mayor Steve Bird, and Councilman Jim Ernest, most of whom were in the audience. He also gave kudos to District Secretary Stephanie Arias and his “co-pilot through the restoration,” Cicely Garcia-Bernhardt.

“Thank you for the honor and what you’ve done to make this a place to continue an education legacy,” he told them.

Building History, Renovation

Fourth and A Street was a hub in its early years and work was done on the new high school in 1823. In 1939, there was a bronze plaque placed outside the first-grade class and a boot scraper was just down the steps, Dolan said, listing historical dates.

In 1948, the Dixon Unified School District was born and 1950 saw a bus shed built. Six classrooms were added in 1952 and shop buildings were added in 1957. The music building was added in 1966 and by 1978, a multi-purpose room and a small gym were also added. There are 24 portable classes and in 2000 a complete modernization took place.

“It was in 2016 that Measure Q was passed with voters approving $34.2 million to prepare this campus,” Dolan said, adding that in 2018 construction started for “limited modernization although it didn’t feel limited in any sense,” he said. There are lots of improvements that cannot be easily seen such as new roofs and all new windows and the unplanned expense of tenting the entire campus to kill termites. 

There is new plumbing and electrical, and the kitchen was completely gutted and rebuilt for fire codes. They discovered after moving in that ‘low-flow’ toilets didn’t have enough water pressure to truly flush so had to re-do sewer lines, too. 

“The locker room was rebuilt and the odors also went away,” he said, drawing a laugh from the audience. There is new air conditioning, a new library, and a new central office, too. No one would think the school wasn’t brand new with polished floors, clean and freshly painted walls, and attractive landscaping.

John Knight

“There were two things that defined John’s life and that was education and baseball,” said friend and classmate Dan Rott about Knight’s growing up in Dixon. “John’s 8^th grade teacher was C.A. Jacobs and John was a freshman in this brand-new gymnasium when it was first built.” Knight played baseball in Dixon High before attending Stanford University and in 1970, started his career as a teacher.

“One thing you heard over and over is ‘Never follow John Knight after any speaking engagement,” Rott said with a laugh. This thought was echoed by Knight’s two daughters, Heather Bennett and Beth Hawkins, who teased they “got stopped all the time wherever they went for long conversations” with their dad. They honored him for his love of teaching and learning and kissed him upon leaving the podium. Knight hobbled with his cane to say thank you to everyone and posed for the official ribbon cutting while surrounded by several grandchildren.

“Never heard anyone ever say anything negative about John Knight,” closed Rott. “He is worthy of celebration and [naming this school after him] couldn’t happen to a more deserving person.”

Chad Phillips’ son, 8^th grader Trevor, agreed. 

“He was my principal and one of the nicest guys I ever met. He always said ‘Hi’ to you,” he said. 

Going Forward

Chad’s son, Trevor, is considering the Independent Study program after dreading the 6-hours a day mask requirement, he confided.

“It’s been long enough,” he said thoughtfully. “We shouldn’t have to do this anymore. We’re going to have to learn to live with Covid.” Both Phillips got to hear from the new JKMS Principal Kamilah O’Conner who gave a short but passionate address. 

“I thank you for the opportunity to love and share my commitment and dedication to students and families of this community,” she said. “This is an exciting new era where the past and the present have come together for the future!”