1981

Prospect School opens its doors in the Friends Church in Berkeley

1983

Sierra School opens its doors in the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Berkeley

1988

Prospect School buys El Monte School site at 2060 Tapscott Avenue, El Cerrito

1993

Sierra School buys Del Mar School site at 960 Avis Drive, El Cerrito. Sierra had leased the school since 1987.

1996

Prospect and Sierra begin planning to merge and create a new K-8 school

1997

Prospect Sierra opens. New science and technology labs for the middle school are completed before the start of the new school year.

1998

Strategic Plan 1998-2003 adopted

1999

Middle school renovation creates new sports and performing arts center.

First eighth-grade class graduates

2001

The Board of Trustees moves forward with the initial phase of campus improvements outlined in the Facilities Master Plan. Construction begins.

2003

New libraries and classroom space at each campus, as well as new art, science, and music classrooms at the elementary school, open when students arrive in the fall

2004

Strategic Plan 2004-2009 adopted

2004-05

Capital Campaign launched for new Arts and World Language classrooms on the Middle School campus

History

Prospect Sierra School was formed in 1997 from the merger of Prospect School and East Bay Sierra School, founded in 1981 and 1983, respectively. Both schools had operated as kindergarten through sixth grade schools, initially in Berkeley and later in El Cerrito. Prospect Sierra School includes

kindergarten through eighth grade and occupies two El Cerrito campuses housing its elementary school (Tapscott Campus, K-4) and middle school (Avis Campus, 5-8).

Beginnings

Both Prospect and Sierrra Schools were conceived by parents and school administrators who had a vision of a better education for children in the East Bay. Both schools had their first years in church basements.

When the opportunity came to purchase permanent school sites, the families and founders responded boldly, with vision and sacrifice. The schools each purchased beautiful campuses in the El Cerrito Hills.

Merger

In 1996, many East Bay public and private schools reconfigured to create 6-8 middle schools. This put Prospect and Sierra's K-6 structure in jeopardy. Both schools had long wanted to include seventh and eighth grades. Again, school leaders responded boldly.

After months of planning, Prospect and Sierra decided in 1997 to merge to reach the goal of creating a middle school. With its two-campus configuration, Prospect Sierra provides the resources of a large school while maintaining the feel of a smaller one.

New Spaces to Learn

In December 2001 the Board of Trustees moved forward with the initial phase of major campus improvements as envisioned in the Campus Master Plan. New buildings include a library, reading room, and art, science, and music rooms at the elementary school campus and a library, reading room, and new classroom space at the middle school. The new facilities opened in fall 2003.

In summer 2005, two new world language classrooms were added to the middle school. This year, 2006, thanks to the proceeds of our To Build is To Believe capital campaign, a new visual arts, drama, and music classroom building is rising on the upper playground of the middle school campus.