New ‘digs’ soon: District holds groundbreaking for new middle school

RIO HONDO — The High School band played as school administrators and officials wielded shovels signifying the construction start of the district’s new middle school.

“We have been looking forward to breaking ground for so long,” said Ismael Garcia, Rio Hondo Independent School District superintendent.

The windy day didn’t stop a number of community members and students from celebrating the occasion with the district.

Micah Hernandez, a fifth grader, was one of the many students in attendance.

She said she couldn’t wait for the school to open.

And like the school leaders, Hernandez also had an opportunity to put on a hard hat and shovel some dirt at the site of the new school grounds.

Hernandez said she is excited to have be able to go to a brand new school.

She said she enjoys studying STEM and robotics, and she can’t wait to see what the new school will offer her and her peers.

“I think it’s going to be pretty cool,” she said. “I will be one of the last students to use the first middle school, and one of the first to use the new middle school.”

The new school is expected to open for the 2018 school year.

It will replace the district’s current middle school which was built in 1927 according to Superintendent Garcia.

“This is a great thing for Rio Hondo,” Garcia said. “This school will be state-of-the-art.”

The estimated cost of the project is $18 million. The school will be 90,000 square feet and will have the capacity to instruct up to 650 sixth-grade though eighth-grade students each day.

The district approved a school bond last May. But that was met with some frustration from residents who believed the district did not adequately inform the public of the vote.

Opponents said that caused low voter turnout and made approval easier.

Garcia said as the project moves forward, the community will see the quality of the school, and agree the project was worth building for the children.

He said the school will be equipped with the latest technology, modern commons areas and furniture for school settings.

“The school is going to be a 21st century learning environment,” Garcia said.