The Campus

The School Campuses

Elementary School click for larger image The elementary school campus at 2060 Tapscott Avenue in El Cerrito is nestled in the hills rising from San Francisco Bay and adjoins the city's Canyon Trail Park. The campus includes a dedicated area for the kindergarten program and classrooms for the first through fourth grades. In addition, there are rooms for specialist programs in art, science, music, and technology, a spacious library with reading room, a multipurpose room for assemblies and physical education, a grassy playing field for use during the day (by arrangement with the city of El Cerrito), space for our extensive AfterSchool program, a student garden, and common areas including a courtyard, playground, basketball courts, and play structure. The campus is fully networked.

Middle School click for larger image The middle school campus at 960 Avis Drive in El Cerrito looks out over San Francisco Bay. Its facilities include homerooms for fifth and sixth grades, plus an expansive library and classroom building with courtyards; rooms for humanities, math, and world languages; a multipurpose room for assemblies, a physical education, and sports events; science and technology labs, both recently renovated; a theater for drama performances, and common areas including additional courtyards, playgrounds, basketball courts, and climbing structures. The Founders Center for the Arts featuring visual arts, drama, and music and movement classrooms opened in fall 2007. The campus is fully networked.

Ribbon-Cuttings for Major New Facilities

On Sept. 2, 2003, the school community celebrated the first day of school and the opening of new learning spaces on both campuses. The elementary school campus added a new library, art, music, and science rooms, courtyard, play structure, garden area, basketball courts, wall-ball area, and renovated bathrooms. The middle school campus opened a new library and classroom building, courtyards, entrance to the campus, conference room, and two new offices.

During the months of construction in the preceding school year, students learned a great deal about the building projects. With the help of a team of parent engineers and architects, teachers integrated the construction project into their curricula. The students were ready and eager to dive into their new environment once the ribbon was cut.

The opening of these exciting spaces concluded more than four years of planning to make our school a stronger, more vibrant environment for children to learn and teachers to teach.

From its beginnings, the school community has worked hard to build facilities and programs to carry out the belief that “learning is the young person's pathway to personal growth.” It has been a cooperative effort over the years — teachers with vision, parents involved in strategic planning and willing to fund needed improvements, and capable financial management.

New Middle School Facilities

After running a capital campaign to fund the last of the number one priorities of the Master Facilities Plan, construction of dedicated music, drama, visual arts, and world language classrooms began on the middle school campus. The world language classrooms were completed in summer 2005. The Founders Center for the arts, which houses visual arts, drama, and music and movement classrooms opened on the first day of school in 2007. These facilities ensure that we deliver the best possible program for our students in the years to come.