New school opens to serve Clovis elementary students. Here’s first look at the campus

Satoshi Hirayama Elementary won’t officially be welcoming students to campus until classes begins next week.

But Clovis Unified held a grand-opening Thursday to celebrate the opening of the new school at Fowler and McKinley avenues.

The school was built to prevent overcrowding, especially in the growing southeast part of the city. It is the 35th elementary school in Clovis Unified and the first to be named for a Japanese American — former Clovis Unified teacher and principal and professional baseball player Satoshi “Fibber” Hirayama.

A Taiko drum group played at the grand opening for guests that included school principal Laura Reynolds and its first Parent Teacher Club president, along with administrators from the district and future students. Several members of Hirayama’s family also attended the celebration, including his sons and 101-year-old brother.

“What a facility,” Hirayama’s son Kevin Hirayama said while speaking at the celebration.

“Every time I come out here, I’m just like, ‘Man, this is impressive,” he said.

“Clovis Unified, thank you.”

Guests were given a tour of the school, which was designed with outdoor, multipurpose spaces in between classrooms that feature wide windows for natural light. Blossoming trees and regional plant life make up sustainable green spaces across the school.

For the grand opening, guests toured the school’s administration building and library, along with a multi-purpose room and classrooms for TK to first-grade students. Full construction isn’t expected to be completed until early next year and portable classrooms will be used for other grades until those permanent buildings are completed.

Who was Satoshi Hirayama?

The school’s namesake was born in Fresno in 1930 and raised in Exeter before his family was forcibly moved to the Poston War Relocation Center, an internment camp in Arizona used during World War II. Hirayama returned to the Valley after being freed from the camp and attended Fresno State from 1949 to 1952, where he became a star athlete.

He turned his college playing experience into a pro career, playing baseball in both the United States and Japan. His career in Major League Baseball stopped when he served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. After his military service, he played in Japan’s professional baseball league and its first Japanese American All-Star.

After retiring from sports he began his educational career with Clovis Unified, which included a stint as the first principal for the continuation school Gateway High. Hirayama spent nearly three decades with the district before retiring in 1991.

He died in 2021. He was 91 years old.

Hirayama’s was one of dozens of names considered for the school.