Gaston Middle School opens next week

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A brand Fresno Unified new school will open its doors next week. Gaston Middle School is located in Southwest Fresno off Church Avenue near Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard.

From the first floor to the second, Gaston Middle School is full of light and sights.

"It's very exciting," said Co-Principal Steve Gonzalez. "This is something the community and the district have been looking forward to for 35 years. When you look around and see it, it's just spectacularly beautiful."

But Gaston is more than a school, it will also serve as a health and wellness clinic, open to the community.

"When a child is sick, they're not able to focus and concentrate on school," said Gaston Co-Principal Felicia Quarles Treadwell. "It allows us to create a healthier community, a welcoming community, it's their health home."

The district has partnered with Clinica Sierra Vista and will care for children up to 19 years old. They say no money is exchanged and no child will be turned away.

Back in the classroom, teachers like Barbara Hernandez are busy unpacking and anxious for that first day.

Hernandez said, "Excited to meet the new faces and get to know my babies."

The new school also comes with a lot of technology.

Gonzalez added, "We're going to be the first school in Fresno County, that school-wide every classroom will have e-beam technology, which is basically a device that allows for interactivity on any surface."

Students in science and career tech education rooms will have laptops. And the robotics and engineering room will also have 3D projectors.

Another feature of Gaston Middle School is the gymnasium. In fact, it's the only middle school in Fresno Unified to have a full size gym. With all these new features, school officials say they can't wait to start the new school year.