Tri-Cities newest school will serve the fastest growing part of town. Have a look inside
Hundreds of parents, students and staff gathered at a new elementary school opening this week to serve the fastest-growing part of the Tri-Cities.
Desert Sky Elementary School has gone by a couple different names and was a temporary home for students the last couple years as Richland School District rebuilt two older elementary schools.
But finally, the school had its own unique identity as families toured classrooms on Monday, the day before school started.
About 400-450 students in kindergarden through 5th-grade will attend the school this fall.
The new school at 2100 Sunshine Ave. will relieve bloating student populations at White Bluffs, William Wiley and Tapteal elementary schools. The elementary boundaries will encompass large southwestern portions of the school district.
“We were able to make class size smaller (and) get the community in this area back over to this school. These kids have been watching this school here for two years, waiting to come in,” said Richland School Board President Jill Oldson.
“It’s exciting to see them all here with a sense of normalcy. (There’s) incredible staff here, very seasoned, wonderful teachers who have come from all over the district,” she continued.
Most of the teachers and staff members have worked for the district for several years, said Superintendent Shelley Redinger.
Nicole Blake will serve as the school’s first principal. She previously worked in the district as its executive director of teaching, learning and curriculum.
The two-story, 65,000-square-foot building was built as part of a $99 million bond voters passed in February 2017.
With a price tag of $17.5 million, it boasts 24 general education classrooms, four special education classrooms, a gymnasium, music and arts rooms, and several multi-purpose rooms.
Desert Sky is also equipped with state-of-the-art security systems, including cameras and a front-office vestibule where visitors are stopped before they are given access into the school building.
On Monday, families toured classrooms, the library, and even stopped for a quick play session on the playground. They also picked up a free T-shirt and shaved ice cone.
Students return
Katie Geldmacher and her two children, 10-year-old Will and 8-year-old Blakely, live less than a mile away. After the COVID pandemic hit, she enrolled her kids at Richland’s Three Rivers Homelink, where they’ve been attending class for two years.
“I just knew they needed consistency,” she said.
But as school returned to normal and as COVID guidelines loosened, it seemed the best time to return her kids to their neighborhood school.
The family lives less than a mile away, Geldmacher said, so she’s looking forward to daily bike rides to drop her kids off at school.
“They’ve actually been in this building before,” she said.
Will, an incoming 5th-grader, and Blakely, a 3rd-grader, attended class in the building when it temporarily housed Tapteal Elementary.
Students will choose their new school’s mascot this fall. Will didn’t have to think long to come up with his pick: the Desert Sky Roadrunners. It’s a unique and cool name, he said.
Lucas Roden, an incoming 2nd-grader, will start public school this year after graduating from Children’s Garden Montessori in Richland.
“He’s very excited to start at a new school,” said his mother, Mari Roden. “It’s a good year to transition since everyone is doing it together.”
Elementary school demand
Richland school officials say they have enough demand for a 12th elementary school — and the decision to build one could come before voters soon.
One of the school district’s proposed bond packages for its third high school includes building another elementary school.
Redinger said the school board will discuss the issue at its Sept. 13 meeting.
A 12th elementary school would more than likely serve western parts of the school district, she said. The district is looking at land near Badger Mountain South or near the Lewis and Clark Ranch.
It would cost about $47.2 million to build, early estimates show.
Both Pasco and Richland school districts plan to put out bond proposals to their voters in February. Both are looking to build third high schools and more education facilities as their communities continue to see overwhelming growth.
“We want do it this February or wait a year. We want to make sure we’re being sensitive to the economy and our taxpayers,” Redinger said.
The population of West Richland, where Desert Sky is located, is projected to double in the next five to eight years, said Ty Beaver, the district’s director of communications.
This last decade, between 2010 and 2020, the city saw 38% growth in its population, according to U.S. Census data.
This story was originally published August 30, 2022 at 12:48 PM.
