AUSTIN, Texas — On Friday morning, Austin ISD reopened yet another school paid for by previously passed bonds.
Parents and school leaders gathered for the grand opening of Menchaca Elementary School, hoping to get a closer look at some of its new, modernized features. The school officially opened to students on Wednesday.
The improvements are part of the voter-approved 2017 Bond Program. The South Austin school received a new campus on its existing site that raises its capacity from 606 to 870 students. The new campus also includes improved site circulation in a response to large road expansions nearby.
"Menchaca was our first project to break ground as part of the 2017 Bond Program, and it is so gratifying to stand here today to open this wonderful new school together," said Superintendent Dr. Paul Cruz. "This school, along with all the other incredible projects included in the bond, will create learning spaces that meet the needs of current and future generations of learners and leaders."
The design was created by a team consisting of LPA Architects, Joeris General Contractors and AECOM, who were all guided by the Campus Architectural Team made up of Principal Elizabeth Loyola, school staff, parents and community members.
The design process began in March 2018 and construction in August 2018. School leaders said the design exemplifies how the school is committed to community engagement, research and innovative learning environments that can change the course of a campus.
"We are so proud to call this beautiful new campus home; it is a fantastic representation of what the community can expect from our district," said Principal Loyola. "Together with our students, staff and community, AISD has built a school that will provide Menchaca students with the opportunities, tools and 21st-century skills they need to be successful throughout their lives."
The school was named after Tejano Army Officer José Antonio Menchaca of the 1800s. It was originally built as a one-room schoolhouse. The newest edition is the fifth version of Menchaca Elementary in this community.
The 98,000 square-foot facility includes three buildings with shaded, outdoor collaboration spaces designed around several heritage Texas oak trees. The buildings form two courtyards linked by a second-story bridge housing the school's innovative library media center.
More than 30% of the school site includes open, vegetated space, creating opportunities for outdoor learning environments. It's also built as an Austin Energy Green Building and it meets LEED certification, committing itself to air quality and overall wellness for those who enter its doors.
T.A. Brown Elementary also reopened this week.
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