Seven months after breaking ground on a new science center at Orange High School, Orange Unified leaders were at it again Saturday, marking the start of construction on a similar facility for Villa Park High School.
And they’re not done. The district’s other two comprehensive high schools, El Modena High and Canyon High, are expected to host groundbreaking ceremonies for their own science centers later this year.
The additions are being funded by Measure S, a $288 million bond approved by voters in 2016. Each school’s share amounts to $72 million, which will also support campus-specific renovation and modernization projects.
Villa Park High School is the second oldest high school in OUSD, after Orange High. But despite opening in 1964, campus buildings have never been extensively renovated or modernized, according to Villa Park Principal Dr. Kenneth Miller.
“The Spartan Community is about to experience significant and meaningful new construction and facility improvements on our campus, and we couldn’t be more thrilled or appreciative of the voters who supported Measure S and helped make this possible,” Miller said.
“Our new science center will ensure our students have modern classrooms, labs and other resources that will optimize in-class instruction, support 21st-century learning and help prepare them for future academic, professional and personal success,” he said.
Villa Park’s science center is scheduled to be completed in 2021. For more information on Measure S projects, visit orangeusd.org/measure-s.