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Speaking first in English, then Spanish, Principal Kevin Woodbridge welcomed the hundreds of parents and community members who turned out to the formal opening of the newly rebuilt Thousand Oaks School.  

Mayor Shirley Dean, outgoing Superintendent Jack McLaughlin, School Board President Terry Doran, Thousand Oaks Neighborhood President Zelda Bronstein and others thanked Berkeley taxpayers for the “generous” gift of the beautiful new buildings, in which teachers team-teach and use the courtyards as an extension of their classrooms. 

But for tour guide Sofiya McGuire, 11, the best thing about the new school is the science room. 

“They have all kinds of pets,” she said, fearlessly, “a tarantella, and a snake and frogs.”  

The event at Thousand Oaks School was the last in a long day of celebrations for the Berkeley Unified School District.  

Earlier in the day a groundbreaking of a new building on Milvia Street and Allston Way was held, kicking off construction of a new building that will house a student union, a library a media center and more. 

The day also included several events honoring the outgoing superintendent whose last day is today. Feb. 1 McLaughlin takes over as state superintendent of schools in Nevada.