On Thursday, Jan. 21, renowned author and former Santa Maria student Francisco Jiménez spoke to about 60 sixth-grade students at Fairlawn School in Santa Maria.
Jiménez was invited to the school by his nephew, sixth-grade teacher Robert A. Jiménez. Jiménez spoke about his childhood in Santa Maria and his books, The Circuit and Breaking Through. Many of the details in Jiménez’s books come from his childhood in Santa Maria and his migrant farmworker family. Some of the students at Fairlawn School have a similar background to Jiménez and could identify with his stories and message about working hard to achieve higher-level education.
In July 2015, the 20th school in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District was named after Jiménez and his brother, Robert Jiménez Sr., in honor of their contributions to the community, to education, and to the district.
In addition to speaking at Fairlawn, Jiménez also gave a talk later that evening at Ethel Pope Auditorium at Santa Maria High School.�
This article appears in Jan 28 – Feb 4, 2016.