After nearly a year of construction, the new Jose Antonio Vargas Elementary School in Mountain View is nearing completion. It cannot come soon enough, as students are set to have their first day in its classrooms starting in just five days.
Named after the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and immigrant rights activist, Vargas Elementary will be formally dedicated at a major event on Thursday, August 15, and students arrive for the new school year on Monday, August 19.
Mountain View Whisman School District trustees held a groundbreaking in April 2018, and building construction commenced in full last October. Construction on the school’s fields is not yet complete and is expected to continue until December.
The new Vargas Elementary, 220 N. Whisman Road, neighbors the former Slater Elementary School, which is now a daycare facility. Vargas will feature a new library, classrooms in a two-story building, and separate play structures for different-aged students.
Thursday’s dedication ceremony, set for 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the school site, may draw large crowds, and school district officials are asking attendees to carpool or plan in extra time to find parking. Street parking, which is often limited in the area, will be available on Gladys, James, and Minaret Streets. Mountain View’s Community Shuttle is also a transportation option.
For more information on Thursday’s dedication event, click here.