Ground is Broke on New High School

On Friday, March 7, 2014, the Val Verde Unified School District (VVUSD) celebrated the beginning of construction on its third comprehensive high school. The new school, named Orange Vista High School, located at 1400 East Orange Avenue in Perris, is scheduled to open to Freshman and Sophomore students for the 2016-1017 school year. The school will have a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) focus and is expected to enroll approximately 2,970 students when fully constructed. Funding for the project is coming from Measure L, a $178 million general obligation bond, passed by voters in 2012. Measure L funds will be used to pay for the new high school and several other facility improvement projects in the VVUSD. During the groundbreaking ceremony, several dignitaries made comments regarding how the new school will help educate the future workforce of Western Riverside County and the State of California. Speakers included: State Senator Richard Roth, County Supervisor Marion Ashley, Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Kenneth M. Young, VVUSD Assistant Superintendent of Educations Services Michael R. McCormick and a representative from the office of State Assembly Representative Jose Medina. The District shares that it is "grateful to its community partners, the Val Verde Teachers Association and the California State Employees Association Chapter 567 for its support of Measure L and the high school project. Without their support, this project would not have come to fruition." The ceremony was concluded with the Board of Education tossing the first shovels of dirt to officially begin the construction project. Construction is expected to take approximately 20 months.