A little morning excitement before students line up for the day at the new Chamisa Elementary School on Meadow Lane in White Rock. Photo by Bernadette Lauritzen

A brief glimpse inside the entry of the new elementary school. Photo by Bernadette Lauritzen

By BERNADETTE LAURITZEN
Los Alamos

The new Chamisa Elementary School held its grand opening Wednesday in White Rock.

What began with a community meeting in March of 2020 has come to fruition with a gorgeous, new educational facility.

“Designing, planning, and building these schools has been a little like being on a roller coaster with a lot of turns,” Los Alamos Public Schools Superintendent Jennifer Guy said. “I am so grateful to the teams that worked on this to get us where we are today. I feel honored to have played a small part in creating schools that our community can be proud of for many years to come.”

“We were very fortunate to work with both an outstanding architect and design team, Dekker, and construction company, Jaynes Construction,” Guy added. “Both companies brought a great deal of experience and expertise to the projects but more importantly they both assembled teams that were experts in elementary school buildings.”

Guy said she could see that the companies were committed to involving students and teachers throughout the projects, because they genuinely care about creating great spaces for learning.

The community requested more space for White Rock and that was heard, through the efforts of the committee, architects, planners, and workers in the modern design. For example, the school features pods, circular gathering spaces that bring a certain community feel to a regular room. One pod was enhanced when the Los Alamos County Council allowed additional funds to create a larger, more comfortable gathering space.

Guy has nothing but praise for the Chamisa staff for their patience and dedication throughout the process. That was seen in the days leading up to the opening, as the project was completed four to five months ahead of schedule. The original plan was to move in December/January. When the construction team realized the start of the school year was possible, they worked in tandem with school staff to achieve the Wednesday goal.

“I want to thank Robert Hollman, LAPS Construction manager who has lead the Los Alamos team through both projects, Assistant Superintendent Mike Johnson, Facilities Director Tommy Castillo, Los Alamos County Council, the White Rock community and most importantly the Los Alamos County voters for making these projects possible,” Guy said.

A lot is ahead for phase 2, already underway and will encompass the pre-k and kindergarten entrance, the front of the school enhancements and eventually the parking lot. LAPS has just received their permits required for the abatement work that must take place before they can raze the old building. It will be done in stages and has been explained as a quiet process where the portions fall in on themselves.

The ‘pod’ design is at the heart of the educational community for Chamisa families and additional funds from Los Alamos County allowed for a larger gathering place. Photo by Bernadette Lauritzen

The Chamisa Cheetah poses with third grader Freyja for photos at the grand opening. Photo by Bernadette Lauritzen