January 6, 2026

Dear TJUSD Community,
I am pleased to be able to write this quick note about a very momentous occasion that occurred today
and will be celebrated later this week. Today marked the first day of school in the brand, spanking new
Trona High School building. After the devastating earthquake of 2019, this day marks the culmination of
a concerted community and state effort t to replace Trona High School which suffered irreparable
damage. Students are in class and walking the halls of the new building today. Teachers are sharing
lessons in brand new classrooms. The food services staff is serving meals in a new cafetorium (the
cafeteria has a stage). What a tremendous day of rejoicing in Trona.
I would be remiss if I didn’t applaud the efforts of two very instrumental staff members in making this
dream become a reality. Our Maintenance, Operations, and Transportation (MOT) Director Darik
McCullar and our MOT Assistant Angelica Rivera were key players in making the connection with
California state agencies and representatives to secure state funding for this project. This new high
school would not have been possible without their contributions of time, energy, and commitment.
It is also important to recognize the TJUSD Board of Education who met very often through the funding
and then the early construction process to approve the plans, funding, and overall process of building
this new high school. We are grateful to Priscilla Benadom, Cathy Heseman, Sandra Sprouse, Skylar
McCullar, and Jessica Price our current board, and also thankful for the input of Samantha McLean who
served on the board when the project was initiated.
One last item to share about the new high school. This Friday, January 9, 2026 at 3:00 PM the district
will be celebrating the new high school with a ribbon cutting ceremony and tours of the building. The
community and public are welcome to attend.
Thank you to all who helped make this vision become a reality. We are all privileged to share in the
possibilities that are becoming available to our students through this new facility. It will help us all to do
a better job of trying to live up to the district vision of Educating, Empowering, and Engaging all of our
students.
Sincerely,

Dr. Jerry Jennex, Superintendent