GGUSD Celebrates New State-of-the-Art Athletic Facility at Santiago

ribbon cutting celebration

Garden Grove Unified School District’s Board of Education hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony at Santiago High School on June 26 to celebrate the grand opening of the school’s new state-of-the-art athletic facility which features a nine-lane all-weather synthetic turf track and field.

Superintendent Gabriela Mafi welcomed hundreds of attendees including elected officials, Santiago High School athletes, staff, alumni, and families to the event. Before cutting the ceremonial ribbon, Board President Walter Muneton, whose trustee area includes Santiago High School, delivered the keynote speech.

“As a graduate of Santiago High School and proud Cavalier, I always love returning to my alma matter to celebrate the success of our staff and students,” said Muneton. “Today, we are here for an extra special celebration. I am confident that this new facility will bring new excitement and energy to our outstanding athletic programs which have dedicated coaches and hardworking players.” 

Following the ribbon cutting, GGUSD’s Board of Education President Muneton and Trustee Bob Harden received certificates of recognition from several elected officials and posed for photos with hundreds of excited athletes.  The ribbon cutting marked the first day of practice on the field for the school’s football and soccer programs.

Santiago High School’s new track and field was funded in part by Measure P, a $311 million bond measure which received 76.3% approval from voters in 2016 and allowed the district to build 2 state-of-the-art athletic stadiums, including the Michael A. Monsoor Stadium at Garden Grove High School which opened in 2017 and the Stadium at Bolsa Grande High School which opened in 2019.

The same athletic facility that opened at Santiago High School is currently being completed at Los Amigos and Rancho Alamitos high schools with ribbon cutting ceremonies to take place before the start of the new school year.