The Valley School District Board of Directors, administrators, staff and students from every school, program and department gathered outdoors with community stakeholders near the future site of Valley Early Learning Center (VELC) for a special Groundbreaking Ceremony on September 30th to kick-off construction of the new facility and campus.

This event marks the culmination of well over ten years of fiscal planning by the district to provide a permanent building for its high quality early learning program, which has been housed in portable buildings for the last fifteen years. The construction effort is being funded through a combination of district capital funds, early learning facility grants, and a twenty year bond. The state’s School Construction Assistance Program (SCAP) does not fund early learning facilities.

Superintendent Dr. Mandi Rehn and VELC Director Candace Harris each welcomed the crowd and thanked the Valley community for supporting the value of early learning to children’s future success. Candace shared, “This day has been a long time coming…we are deeply grateful to our voters for believing in our vision and making it a reality.” Candace went on to recognize the leadership and planning of many community partners, including project managers from Turner Townsend & Heery, and contractors Garco Construction and NAC Architects.

Intermittent sunshine highlighted a sea of black VELC t-shirts worn by attendees. Bright spots included a performance of the National Anthem by Valley EDGE High School and Valley Middle School students and a specially written song with the theme of building dreams performed by preschool and K-5 students, all directed by music teachers Bryan McDougal and Ericka Simpson.

Board President Bill Wilson spoke about the ongoing efforts of Director Harris and her team in earning the highest quality rating for early learning and childcare programs in the state, noting that VELC sits in the top 1% of over 6,000 programs statewide, and was the first in eastern Washington to achieve the Level 5 quality rating.

Four youngsters attending VELC were selected to start the official groundbreaking, each wearing a vest, hard hat and using a small shovel to toss dirt from the site. Board members and Community for Children members followed suit by donning hard hats and shovels to scoop and toss dirt. The new building will be tucked into the hillside north of the remaining portable classrooms, overlooking Highway 231 and the valley beyond. 

Attendees also included local news media representatives and community leaders, members of Valley Committee for Children, Northeast Washington ESD 101 Superintendent Robert Roettger, Assistant Superintendents Darren Nelson and Kassidy Probert, and ESD Communications Officer Tracy Poindexter-Canton.

In her closing remarks, Director Harris commented, “this is more than the start of construction – it’s the start of a new chapter for our families, educators, and most importantly, our children.” Architectural renderings and floorplans of the new state-of-the art facility and campus are posted in the district administrative office and viewable online at www.valleysd.org. 

Groundwork
The complex process of building a new early learning facility in Valley is progressing well! This initiative is made possible by the community’s overwhelming support of the Construction Bond measure, which passed by 64.85% of voters in February. Thanks to the combined efforts of district residents, leadership teams, and excellent construction professionals, our vision of a safe, modern facility for our youngest learners will soon become a reality. The project is being paid for with district capital funds, substantial early learning grants, and Bond funds.

Supt. Dr. Mandi Rehn and finance director Jared Attridge have been diligently working with Project Manager Jonathan Miller and team from Turner & Townsend Heery to set the bond financial arrangements and hire the design/construction teams. They also gained state approval for proceeding with the project under the General Contractor/Construction Management delivery method. This approach involves early collaboration between the project manager, architect and contractor to streamline decision-making and improve costs, timelines and quality. 

The Building Team
NAC Architecture is designing the building and surrounding campus. Lead architect Melissa McFadgen specializes in early learning building design. VELC Director Candace Harris shared, “We are especially grateful to our architect, whose expertise and deep understanding of licensing requirements and the unique developmental needs of young children streamlines the process, ensuring that we will have the school we are all hoping for.”

From a field of 10 applicants, after campus visits, contractor input and interviews, Garco Construction stood out for their professionalism and extensive experience in school construction.

Feasibility studies of three potential sites for the building, considering efficiencies and ease of access to existing utility lines, infrastructures, traffic lanes and parking led the Board and the GC/CM team to select the existing site of the VELC portables and adjacent hillside for development. From Hwy. 231, passersby be able to observe the project’s progress throughout the next year.

Facility Design
With the building site selected, NAC principal architect Kelly Hendrickson and team have been meeting weekly with VELC Director Candace Harris and various staff and student groups to gather stakeholder input. Surveys and interactive design sessions conducted with youngsters have provided meaningful insights and ideas for shaping a highly functional educational environment within early learning program and workplace requirements.

The facility team collaboratively selected a “hillside treehouse” design, tucking a multi-level building into the existing topography. The general layout of the inside classrooms, service areas, outdoor green/play spaces, parking and traffic flow have been determined. The team is now shifting their focus to selecting construction materials, finish details, and aligning costs to fit within the project budget. The construction plans are on track for breaking ground sometime in August. This new educational facility will positively impact many generations of Valley students and families.

Valley may be small, but our School Board has a mighty heart and passion for supporting families and helping kids discover their unique abilities to learn and achieve. Led by decades long directors Bill Wilson and Paul Voelker, plus Doug Elledge, Nancy Cocroft and Crystal Hubert, the Board’s willingness to move beyond traditional norms and direct the creation of innovative learning programs has resulted in a fiscally healthy, forward-moving school district.

Recently, the Board of Directors and administrators announced a rejuvenation of Valley’s 15-year-old innovative high school program (formerly “Paideia”) to fully engage and guide students in their choices and path towards independent adulthood.

At their June 18th meeting, the Board confirmed the program’s new name and identity: Valley EDGE High School Academy. “EDGE” represents the academy’s solid foundation in Educational instruction, its dedication to flexible, personalized Development and Growth for its students, and an abiding commitment to achieve overall student and program Excellence.

To help select the name, a survey went out to all students, staff, and families in the school community with a request for recommendations. Based on that input, Board members agreed ‘Valley EDGE High School Academy’ best represents the shared vision for the future of the program. District administrators welcome new and returning students seeking a school experience balanced with independent learning, accelerated progress, and the guidance they need to explore and discover their capabilities.

The Valley School District Board of Directors and program administrators are pleased to announce significant modifications to its innovative high school academic program starting next school year, changes that the Board is confident will provide students with personalized, flexible learning tracks and a solid foundation for their next life steps after graduation.

“We want to meet teens where they’re at, guide them through a flexible learning plan and connect them with resources to fit their individual interests and goals. This effort will also provide practical life skills and work experience to help them succeed as an independent adult, relevant to our current economic realities and modern work force,” shared Principal Karen Hay.

The program is designed to fully engage students by offering flexible, hybrid scheduling and a blend of academic options. While retaining the standard core subjects and rigorous College in High School credit options established through Central Washington University, the school is adding electives/choice classes, online courses, and will support work study or experiential learning through community/business partnerships. 

“We’re preparing a student-directed, planned progression of guiding steps to expand students’ knowledge and skill levels, and challenge students to intentionally embrace and empower their futures. We plan to be flexible with scheduling to support efforts towards gaining job experience so students can confidently enter the workforce, a trades training program, or post-secondary education – whatever their goals, we will figure out a way to support their personalized learning,” offered Principal Hay.

Last school year, the high school modified course requirements and added a variety of career-focused STEM Lab Kits for grade 11-12 students. A new Life Skills class where students earned a Food Handler’s Card and First Aid/CPR certification has been popular and will be expanded. The school will help pay for student Driver’s Ed courses. Additionally, a fitness room was created, along with Multi-Court building flooring improvements to expand P.E. course options. Grades 9-12 students will continue to have the option to participate in extracurricular activities, like sports at Jenkins High School, with transportation provided to Chewelah.

Become a Bear! Help us develop more opportunities to grow and make learning your best effort yet!

Exciting things are happening this summer at Valley EDGE High School Academy! Our campus is getting a facelift! Building exteriors are sporting a bright new paint color, with refreshed detailing and doors. A new sprinkler system is installed and grassy areas will soon be hydroseeded! We look forward to hosting students back on campus to experience a lush greenspace and hang out, play frisbee or cornhole, and enjoy the woodland surroundings.

A newly installed entrance sign for Valley EDGE Academy will mark the campus entrance and lead you along recently paved driveways, bus loop and adjacent overflow parking. Stay tuned for more updates in our high school academic program and campus projects!