As fighting men returned home to start families following World War II, farmland in Ceres began disappearing under suburban housing projects like Morrow Village and more schools were needed. One of them was Caswell Elementary School which opened its doors in 1949 with a mostly white student population.

Seventy-five years later with a Latino population of 81 percent, the now named Caswell Dual Language Academy was heralded at a Wednesday afternoon 75th anniversary party. 

Jackie Wimberly, who taught second through sixth grades at Caswell for decades before retiring in 2010, returned for the celebration and noticed the changes on the campus. She recalled that Caswell had just 16 classrooms when she was hired by Principal Marilyn Hildebrandt, but that number has swelled to 34 today.

“Oh I loved it. I loved it,” said Wimberly of her experience as a teacher at Caswell. “It was a very special place. The culture here was really amazing. Part of it was the leadership and the people that were hired. This is going to sound really silly, but one of the things that we did that kind of kept the staff cohesive was in the staff room, instead of having separate groups and separate tables for people to sit at, we all sat in the big circle. And we worked really hard to keep that because it made you have to look at people and engage with them instead of having ‘Oh, this is this group’s table over here.’”

When the teacher she did her second teaching assignment with retired, Principal Marilyn Hildebrandt asked her to take over the class.

“This school kind of raised me up,” Wimberly said fondly.

Wimberly returns at times to participate to read to students as part of the Rotary Read-In program.

At the 75th anniversary celebration, which included a memorabilia display, Dr. Amy Peterman, superintendent of Ceres Unified School District, said that when Caswell transitioned to a dual language school seven years “I don’t think we knew at the time how transformative that would be for this community, its students and families.”

Peterman recalled attending Caswell beginning in her fifth grade year in 1983 after her parents Steve and Kay Beaver moved to Ceres from Fresno. 

“I was welcomed with open arms by so many individuals, including the principal of the school of the time, Marilyn Hildebrandt, and my fifth grade teacher. These women were very instrumental in making my transition to a new school a positive one.”

“As we looked to the future, I cannot wait to hear about the success stories of our biliterate students. Caswell students, the foundation you are building here will open doors for you in ways that you can’t yet imagine. Keep up the great work and thank you for letting me be part of this special journey with you.”

Principal Ismael Maldonado noted that the school was planned in 1948 under the leadership of then superintendent Walter White. The school was named in honor of the descendants of the Thomas Caswell family which owned 1,225 acres of land in Ceres where the school was built.

“This connection to local heritage underscores our deep ties to the Ceres community,” said Maldonado. “For 75 years, Caswell has been more than just the school. It has been a cornerstone of this community, shaping the lines of thousands of students and instilling in them the values of hard work, resilience, and lifelong learning. Generations of children have walked these halls, growing into leaders, professionals, and community members who carry the lessons learned here and to the world.”

Guests included former CUSD Superintendent Scott Siegel, who guided Caswell to a dual language school in 2018, attended the celebration.

“This transformation,” said Maldonado of the dual language program “was in response to the voices of our community, families who saw the value of bilingualism, biliteracy and cultural education. Ceres Unified is deeply committed to equity and dual language instruction is just one of the many ways we ensure that all of our students have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in a very diverse world.”

He stated that in the last three years the school has developed an effective multi-tiered system of support, “ensuring that every child receives the academic, behavioral, and emotional resources they need. Our efforts in positive behavior interventions and supports have earned us state level recognition. Last year we were honored as ‘Program of the Year’ by the Central Valley Dual Language Consortium and chronic absenteeism has decreased by over 40 percent. As a result, our academic achievement continues to rise year after year.”

State Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil attended the event and delivered remarks and presented a large framed proclamation from the state Legislature bragging on the achievements of Caswell.

“I have a special shout-out to parents because I know parents are the first educators of our kids,” said the senator.

“We know that a strong academic curriculum is the core to education of the total child, and at Caswell Dual Language Academy, the curriculum is enriched with opportunities for socialization, emotional development and personal expression, with the emphasis on the values that children need in order to become lifelong leaders and informed responsible citizens.”

Alvarado-Gil said that growing up she never imaged she would become the first bilingual Latino woman to represent District 4.

Mayor Javier Lopez briefly spoke, noting then importance of dual language instruction in Ceres.

Former principal Dr. Mary Jones sent a congratulatory message to be read while former principals Alfonso Navarro, Kirsten Saint, Carol Lubinsky, Emily Harry, and former assistant principal Sherry Carter turned out.

Former teacher Suzette Stavrianoudakis delivered a message from retired Principal Jan Beekman who presided over the campus in the 1990s after Hildebrandt’s retirement. She now lives in Montana.

“Those were big shoes to fill. Marilyn was a listener, counselor and a principal, but there was Jan Beekman all by 5-foot-four inches of her if you were counting of those three inches of heels.”

She recalled how Beekman loved Caswell and her message reflected on specific memories of students and staff members.

Former Principal Navaro noted that the school serves students living between Central Avenue and Highway 99 and that they attend “a school that, in my biased opinion is a top notch school.”

The celebration included a performance of the Caswell school band and Central Valley High School Folklorico dancers as well as readings by student body president Rama Abdulkader and vice president Tonalli Gomez.