In what Superintendent Chris Vanden Heuvel openly said was a first, the Healdsburg Unified District School Board’s trustees voted to give a newly remodeled gym a new name: Drew Esquivel Hall, in honor of a 2013 graduate who was killed by a drunk driver while he was away at college in 2016.
“It is not a normal thing for us to consider naming a school building after a student, or a room,” Vanden Heuvel told the board on Wednesday night, Nov. 20. “In fact, I’ve been in education for 28 years, this year. I’ve never seen it done.
“But Drew Esquivel was not a normal kid.”
That was the essence of the message that Vanden Heuvel and wrestling coach Scott Weidemier both delivered to the board, while Drew’s parents Susanne and Andy Esquivel sat in the audience. They spoke in support of a proclamation to rename Frost Hall—which bears the name of a long-ago school board member—as Drew Esquivel Hall, to be dedicated early next year.
The Superintendent, who was principal at Healdsburg High for three years while Esquivel was a student, was first to speak—in fact it was he who suggested to the school board that they consider renaming the gym. Vanden Heuvel ticked off Esquivel’s accomplishments and academic standing (though the former principal thought it was Esquivel’s competitive streak that drove his academic success), and while Esquivel was known as a competitive football player, wrestler and “super smart kid,” Vanden Heuvel said he was most impressed by a more powerful aspect of Esquivel’s character.
“What really stands out the most was that Drew was one of those people who makes everyone better when he’s around,” he said. “He looked out for others. Or he might just influence them with his joy and positivity …
“He could change the attitudes and outcomes for his classmates and teammates as a result. He made everyone better simply by walking in the room. He just lifted the room when he was there.”
Esquivel’s own academic excellence and social impact led to a full academic scholarship to MIT, where again he joined the wrestling team. His Healdsburg wrestling coach, Scott Weidemier (who still coaches the school’s wrestlers), also took the podium to deliver an endorsement for the proposal.
“Drew wasn’t a naturally talented wrestler when he first started,” his coach said. “It took him a lot of work to do that.”
Weidemier noted Esquivel’s achievements with the wrestling team, and said, “It was hard work that allowed him to ultimately achieve a great deal of success. He was a medal winner at the North Coast Section Championships, and wasn’t far from qualifying to the state tournament.”
When he went away to MIT after high school, Esquivel took his passion for the sport back to the highly competitive school in Cambridge, Massachusetts. There he became the wrestling club’s co-captain and competitor.
Weidemier spoke much as he did in 2016, when a nighttime vigil was held at the Healdsburg Plaza upon the news that Esquivel had been killed by an alleged drunk driver—and off-duty policeman—in Brooklyn, New York. “He was an Eagle Scout; he was the valedictorian of his class; he was a star athlete—he was one of those people who everybody loved,” the coach said.
Esquivel’s charisma, positive outlook and emotional impact on his fellow students and others in Healdsburg led to the creation of the Healdsburg Sunrise Rotary Club’s Drew Esquivel Memorial Scholarship, “Live Like Drew,” which helps outstanding Healdsburg High School graduates pursue their college education.
Live Like Drew scholars currently study at universities across the country, including Notre Dame, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, UC Berkeley and others.
The primary annual fundraiser for the Scholarship fund is being held this Thursday, sponsored once again by Rotary Club Healdsburg Sunrise. The Turkey Trot 5k has registered more than 2,300 runners so far this year, according to Susanne Esquivel. Participants will head out at 8am on Turkey Day (Nov. 28) to trot the streets of town, starting from the Healdsburg Running Company at 333 Center St.
“Chris and Scott were so kind and eloquent. I’m so grateful to know that Drew had and still will have an impact on the community he grew up in,” Susanne Esquivel said following the meeting. “Chris and Scott helped him become the person he was.”
She added, “It still seems impossible that he is not here and not able to live the life he intended, but we have much to be thankful for. Our community has supported us in our grief and helped us build a legacy so that Drew will be remembered and hopefully will be an inspiration.”
The school district board was unified in approving the action item, and the dedication of Drew Esquivel Hall is planned for Jan. 25, 2025. It will include an introductory panel with a photo and narrative about the young athlete for whom the renovated gym will be named.
