Saddle View Elementary near Arden in western Palm Beach County has not had its first day of school yet, but its halls are already buzzing.
Only three days before the Palm Beach County School District’s newest school is set to welcome students for the first time, teachers on Aug. 7 were carrying supplies to their classrooms. Workers were making last-minute tweaks and installations. And West Palm Beach artist Eduardo Mendieta was adding stairwell art to the huge mural he painted on a wall near the school’s front office.
Gliding across the school’s new floors, media entourage in tow, was Dwan Ross, Saddle View’s principal, who frequently interrupted her tour to give hugs to teachers, students and parents.
Ross’ enthusiasm matches that of Saddle View’s teachers, students and parents, and it reflects the pride district officials have about the school, which is set to open two years early because of exploding population growth in the area.
“It was very important that we get this school built and built early because (nearby) Binks Forest (Elementary) was just bursting at the seams,” said Joseph Sanches, Palm Beach County School District’s chief operating officer. “We were over capacity at Binks. The traffic was becoming a problem over there.”
Saddle View, a three-story, 95,600 square-foot facility with capacity for 971 students, will alleviate that pressure. As of Aug. 7, 619 students were enrolled at Saddle View, but Ross and the district are expecting more.
The school — budgeted to cost $41.7 million, though district officials say the final bill will be less than that — was designed and built to match the architectural and even cultural feel of the Arden development. The school is just west of the development’s entrance on Southern Boulevard.
Arden has its “agrihood” community farm, and Saddle View has space for students to grow their own plants.
Saddle View has all of the new-school bells and whistles — a media room with floor-to-ceiling views of the greenery outside; a science, technology, engineering and math lab; bright, airy classrooms; and even solar panels, which will provide a small amount of the facility’s energy and serve as a teaching tool for the students.
Ross said she was able to add her input to the look and feel of the school as construction was nearing completion.
“The goal, always, as an educator is to make sure that we do what’s best for kids and we create environments and spaces that’s best for our students’ learning,” she said.
As the tour wound its way to Melanie Wilson’s first-grade class, she was ready to show it off and convey her enthusiasm for kicking off the new school year in a new school.
“I’m excited beyond words to be here at Saddle View Elementary School,” she said. “We are not just opening up doors. We’re opening up a community of learners.”
Wayne Washington is a journalist covering education for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at wwashington@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Saddle View Elementary, built 2 years early, set to open near Arden, Westlake
Reporting by Wayne Washington, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
