Parents and educators enjoyed self-guided tours, refreshments and games at the ribbon cutting ceremony for Plum Canyon Elementary School’s newest classroom building and science lab on Thursday.

Members of the Plum Canyon Elementary School community gathered in front of the newest classroom building on campus — which has been in use for a year — for a ribbon cutting Thursday afternoon.

The Ribbon Cutting

Officials with the Saugus Union School District (SUSD) spoke about the new classroom building before cutting a ceremonial ribbon and allowing families to explore the classrooms and science lab.

The new building has been in use since the beginning of the school year, when construction was complete.

“The pandemic pretty much put a kibosh on having a ribbon cutting ceremony at the time,” said Christopher Trunkey, member of the SUSD Board.

Those who attended the event were able to participate in different games and activities set up both inside the science lab and outdoors.

Inside The New Building

In the building, there are a series of classrooms and a science lab.

The classrooms house the upper grades at the elementary school, which consist of fourth, fifth and sixth graders.

The center corridor in the building has whiteboard walls that students can write on.

“There’s a lot more natural light in classrooms because now we know that natural light really helps kids learn,” Heinlein said. “It’s built more as an indoor-outdoor space.”

The Build Process

Construction on the new classrooms began in late 2019. The pandemic caused delays in the build, but it was complete at the beginning of this school year.

The $11 million project was funded through Measure EE.

“Part of the language in our Measure EE bond, which was passed by the community, was to remove portable classrooms and replace them with a permanent building,” Heinlein said. “It gave us the ability to remove the portables and build a classroom building like this that the students deserve.”

Future Plans

Two other projects are currently underway at Plum Canyon.

This summer, solar panels are set to be installed on the roof of the new building, according to Heinlein.

He added that in summer 2023, the current lunch area is set to be expanded and have solar panels added to it.

A track is also expected to be constructed on campus.

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