Blackford Bulletin

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Campbell Union School District Students Contribute to the Redesign of the Downtown Campbell Library

Students from Campbell Union School District were instrumental in the redesign of the downtown Campbell Library.

Student participants and district and community leaders pose for a photo at the 2019 Pitch Fest.

After years of collaboration and planning, the Campbell Library in downtown Campbell has reopened. Students from Campbell Union School District (CUSD) were part of the original collaboration team that contributed to the planning. 

In the 2018-19 school year, eight teams of CUSD students from five elementary schools participated in Pitch Fest.  This was an opportunity for students to work with their teachers, Campbell librarians and elected officials as they presented their design challenge ideas for the renovation of the Campbell Library.

Each of the teams had five minutes to present their ideas to the panel that included two Campbell librarians, Superintendent Shelly Viramontez, and former Trustee Cohen. Through the engineering and design thinking process, the library  gathered student input and ideas that would help them in the redesign of their services, programming, and spaces to improve the library experience. Pitch Fest was a culminating event to CUSD’s annual Design Challenge where students and community came together to design real world solutions in their  community.

The student pitch presentations included:

  • Soundproof Castle (noise engineering) from Capri Elementary School
  • Ear Covering Chair (noise engineering) from Castlemont Elementary School
  • Better Advertising and Transportation (design thinking) from Rosemary Elementary School
  • Improvements for the Teen Zone (design thinking) from Sherman Oaks Dual Immersion School
  • Re-shelving Robot (design thinking) from Sherman Oaks Dual Immersion School
  • Reading Cubicles (design thinking) from Village School
  • An Easy Way to Find a Book (design thinking) from Village School
  • A Bookworm’s GPS (design thinking) from Village School

Nichole King, Community Librarian at the Campbell Library, noted that patrons can see elements of the students’ ideas in the library’s redesign including noise canceling components, a castle in the children’s area, and cozy reading areas. 

All CUSD students have a library card, so go check out the new library and check out a book or two.

The Campbell Library is located at 77 Harrison Avenue in Campbell and is part of the Santa Clara County Library District - a proud CUSD partner.

After 30 Years of CUSD Service, Superintendent Viramontez Announces Retirement

In a community letter, Dr. Viramontez announces her retirement.

Banner photo with students from the 1960's Cherry Lane Elementary, CUSD logo and Dr. Viramontez headshot

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

After 30 years of service and learning in this district, I am writing to share that I have decided to retire at the conclusion of this school year.

My history here runs deep. As a student at Cherry Lane Elementary (now CSI) and Hamilton Elementary (now Home Depot), I never could have imagined that my path would lead me back to this district—first as a substitute teacher, then through the ranks of teaching, site leadership, department administration, and finally as your Superintendent. I have truly enjoyed every phase of this journey; each role has been a gift.

The past few years have brought changes for several of my loved ones that have caused me to reflect deeply on the fact that time is never guaranteed. This realization has led me to prioritize being present for those who mean the most to me. While I will always be available for a chat or a cup of coffee with my colleagues, I am looking forward to the next chapter. Joe and I are particularly excited to travel more—especially during those midweek windows when flights are cheaper!

The Governing Board is fully committed to ensuring continuous, stable leadership for the district and will announce the transition plan in the near future. My priority over the coming months is to ensure a seamless transition so that the incredible momentum we’ve built together continues without interruption.

I am immensely proud of the people and the work in this district. You make this a world-class place to learn and an inspiring place to work. It has been the honor of a lifetime to work alongside you.

With deep appreciation,

Shelly 

Bright Spots in CUSD

Highlights of exciting news within the Campbell Union School District.

Castlemont teacher, Hailey Robinson, and the Navy pilot she flew with in the F-18 (pictured behind them).

Students and staff are living our values of learning, collaborating, and community building. Students at Village have been learning about local waterways and in January helped the South Bay Clean Creek Coalition remove 2,680 pounds of trash from Guadalupe Creek. In addition to helping make the waterway and accompanying trail more inviting with the trash removal, the students’ work also helped the salmon thrive. Students will continue their studies about the local waterway and its inhabitants throughout the remaining school year and are planning another day of service with the South Bay Clean Creek Coalition.

At Castlemont Elementary, third grade teacher, Hailey Robinson, was the recipient of the Key Influencer Award, As part of the recognition, Hailey was scheduled to fly with the Navy’s Blue Angels during Fleet Week which was cancelled due to the government shutdown at the time. In February, Ms. Robinson was given the opportunity to fly with the Navy in a FA-18 Super Hornet. Congratulations, Hailey!

Santa Clara County Supervisor, Susan Ellenberg, honored Campbell Union School District and Youth Art Month at the Arts, Innovation, and Music (AIM) Showcase with a Proclamation. Additionally, ten student (grades K-5) projects were selected for display at the County Building, 70 W. Hedding Street, 10th floor, San Jose. Visitors may view the student pieces during regular business hours. Congratulations to:

School 

Student

Grade

Project

Blackford

Delilah Velasquez Espino

5

Grand Canyon

Oil Pastel

CSI

Shiori Doi

5

Rainbow Weaving

Recycled Weaving

Capri

Aivy Troung

4

Treasure Island Map (Innovation project)

Castlemont

Freddie Marmarou

K

Arctic Hare

(Art project)

Forest Hill

Julian Chiu

5

Tempra paint value with chalk pastel Northern Lights

Lynhaven

Noor Ahmed 

5

Grand Canyon

Oil Pastel

Marshall Lane

Henrietta “Etta” Makepeace

4

Mehndi art on watercolor (India)

Rosemary

Emily Nicolle Jimenez Salcedo

2

Bald Eagle (Art Project)

Sherman Oaks

Ximena Cruz

5

Guitar

Village

Cole Pearring

4

A "Cheesy" Success: Student Chefs at Rolling Hills Secure Second Consecutive Cook-off Title

Rolling Hills Middle School wins second Expanded Learning Lunchroom Cook-off student cooking competition.

The winning team from Rolling Hills Middle School pose with their awards and Expanded Learning staff.

And the winner is…..Cheesy Pasta (a paccheri pasta dish) from the Rolling Hills Middle School team composed of Amy, Liya, and Serena.

Student culinary teams from the Expanded Learning programs at Campbell School of Innovation (CSI), Monroe Middle School, Rolling Hills Middle School, and Sherman Oaks Dual Language Immersion School competed April 1, 2026 in the fifth annual Campbell Union School District (CUSD) Lunchroom Cook-off. 

Not only did the team from Rolling Hills Middle School earn a trophy and bragging rights as the defending champion, but their winning recipe will be added to the school lunch menu.

Leading up to the competition, students representing their school and Expanded Learning program learned about nutrition, food handling and safety, and basic culinary techniques. Additionally, they spent time putting together presentations and practicing their public speaking and presentation skills. The competition was judged by Superintendent, Dr. Viramontez; Board President, William Slade; former Le Cordon Bleu instructor, The International Culinary Center Coordinator, and season three Chopped winner, Chef Marc Pavlovic; and student representatives from Monroe, Sherman Oaks and CSI.

Past winners have included:

2022 - Spicy Chicken Ramen - Monroe Middle School

2023 - Tortas de Asada - Sherman Oaks

2024 - Enchiladas Verdes - Sherman Oaks

2025 - Pesto Pasta - Rolling Hills Middle School

The paccheri pasta dish included all five main food groups: dairy (cheese and heavy whipping cream), protein (Italian sausage), fruits (tomatoes), vegetables (onion, garlic, and fennel), and grains (paccheri pasta). The students also had to ensure the recipes met the required nutritional guidelines and limitations on sodium and fats. When asked how the team decided on a name for their dish, with a giggle they told the story of how one iteration of the dish ended up with more cheese than the recipe originally called for, “it was an accident and that became really popular, so we kept it”, noted the young chefs.

The livestream from the Lunchroom Cook-off may be viewed at https://youtu.be/KTXeGjOhu_M 

Campbell Union's Next Top Chef

Students from the middle grades of the Expanded Learning programs are prepping to compete in the 2026 cooking competition.

Students preparing their dishes for the 2025 cooking competition.

Student culinary teams from the Expanded Learning programs at Campbell School of Innovation (CSI), Monroe Middle School, Rolling Hills Middle School, and Sherman Oaks Dual Language Immersion School will be competing April 1, 2026 for Campbell Union School District (CUSD) “Top Chef” honors. Middle grade students have been competing in the Top Chef style competition since 2022; not only for bragging rights, but for the opportunity to have their winning recipe added to the school lunch menu.

Leading up to the competition, students representing their school and Expanded Learning program learned about nutrition, food handling and safety, and basic culinary techniques. Additionally, they spent time putting together presentations and practicing their public speaking. The competition will be judged by Superintendent, Dr. Viramontez; Board President, William Slade; former Le Cordon Bleu instructor, The International Culinary Center Coordinator, and season three Chopped winner, Chef Marc Pavlovic; and a student representative from each competing school.

Past winners have included:

2022 - Spicy Chicken Ramen - Monroe Middle School

2023 - Tortas de Asada - Sherman Oaks

2024 - Enchiladas Verdes - Sherman Oaks

2025 - Pesto Pasta - Rolling Hills Middle School

This year’s competition will be available on live stream. Students begin cooking at 3:00 p.m.

View the Stream