An ecstatic community celebrates the completion of the new River Grove Elementary School

From the moment the ribbon was cut outside River Grove, it seemed like the kids would never stop playing on their new playground.

Only a brief rainy spell could stifle the excitement of an afternoon that many had looked forward to for two years — the completion of the new River Grove Elementary School.

On Monday, May 6, Lake Oswego School District leaders and school board members officially cut the ribbon on the finished, remodeled school.

“We encourage you to look at this school through the eyes of a 5-year-old for the first time,” said school board Chair Brian Bills, moments before a stampede of kids and their families entered River Grove for the first time.

Dancing alongside the open doors was a parent in a Reggie the River Grove Raccoon costume.

The “reimagined” River Grove Elementary is a sustainably focused replacement of the original 1967 facility. The school features “learning neighborhoods,” a maker space, a library, music classrooms, a stage, commons and a gymnasium. The large gym-commons space is connected by a roll-up, accordion door that allows for the option of a huge community space.

The L-shaped classrooms in each wing of the new building provide a variety of possible class layouts and tons of natural sunlight. During the construction phase of the project, the contracting team tried to save as many original trees as possible; those that came down were integrated into the school. Finished boards of tree No. 139, whose original home was in the middle of the gym, decorate the school’s stairwells.

As one of the key projects of the 2021 capital construction bond program, the replacement school was designed by Arcadis architects and cost $43.5 million. The school’s capacity is 600 students and aligns with the district’s 2020 growth goals and specifications.

Executive Director of Project Management Tony Vandenberg said that the school’s sustainability focus and design — integrated aesthetically into the surrounding neighborhood and park — is part of the pattern of newly remodeled schools in Lake Oswego.

“Being highly sustainable, super resilient, we’ve applied that to all of our projects. I think that’s one of the things that I’m most proud of,” said Vandenberg.

The remaining projects funded by the 2021 capital construction program — the newLake Oswego Middle School, high school science lab upgrades and the aquatic center — will all be completed by 2026.

Following an hour of self-guided tours and celebration, the school board headed to the new school’s commons for the annual school board districtwide advisory committee meeting.

At the beginning of the meeting, Superintendent Jennifer Schiele gave the annual “State of the District” speech before the different school and advisory committees broke off into separate groups to discuss their YouthTruth survey data.

“Meeting here at River Grove Elementary School highlights our priority of teaching and practicing sustainability,” said Schiele. “This school balances our capital improvement program, facility operations and construction as an awe-inspiring example of our new and remodeled facilities shape our students’ experiences.”