On Aug. 23, Falcon School District 49’s newest high school hosted a grand opening. Vista Ridge High School, on Black Forest Road between Woodmen and Dublin roads, was built to relieve overcrowding at Sand Creek High School.At the grand opening, Dave Martin, D 49 board of education vice president, said, “It truly is community effort that we celebrate today.”The 160,000-square-foot building sits on 55 acres and has the capacity to hold 1,600 students. For the 2008-2009 school year, Vista Ridge will have 30 teachers and 574 ninth and 10th grade students. Next year, as the students move up and new freshman come in, the school will include a junior class.Vista Ridge focuses on STEM: science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Information technology, civil air patrol and biomedical technology are a few of the programs offered.A goal of the new high school is to ensure D 49 students learn 21st century skills. According to the VRHS Web site, “Kids are now growing up in the digital age and may enter careers that don’t even exist yet.”Vicky Berman, representing U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard at the grand opening, said, “Educating our youth is the single most important thing a community can do.”
