Bond Project Update: August 2023
Thank you to the Bethel School Board directors, administrators, and community members who came out to this month’s groundbreaking ceremony for our 19th elementary school.
Construction crews are already hard at work on the 68,000-square-foot building, which will be located in the Lipoma Firs Community. When it’s complete, the school will house about 500 students in 28 general classrooms and various shared spaces.
Planning Principal Sara Olson attended the ceremony and spoke about the work already being done behind the scenes to ensure a successful start to the school.
“We have some amazing core team members that already have me so excited. For them all to be here tonight says a lot about our excitement together and the vision we have. We’ve just started this journey, but I can already see the fruits that are going to come for our kids in this community, and I’m excited to see that become a reality,” Olson said.
School Board Director Marcus Young shared his excitement about Elementary 19 being Bethel’s first walking school.
“This is exciting to bring a Bethel school to the Lipoma Firs community,” Young said. “For these kiddos in this area to be able to safely walk to school, it’s definitely exciting. So I want to commend everyone who has played a role in this.”
New Naches Trail Elementary
Way back in 2022, our construction team ordered some critical electrical components that are essential for the New Naches Trail Elementary School. Due to supply chain issues, those parts just arrived last month. This means the new school won’t be ready for kids and students for the first day of school.
The good news is we still have the old Naches Trail! So while they will start school at the old building on August 30, on September 25, students and staff will move into the new building!
The 77,000-square foot school will soon house 41 general classrooms! This new, larger school will allow us to work towards accommodating projected growth in the area.
Evergreen Elementary Expansion
Once the New Naches Trail is complete, the old Naches Trail Elementary will become home to the Evergreen Elementary staff and students while the renovation and expansion of their school takes place. The Evergreen Elementary project will expand and modernize the current building, which was originally built in 1979.
Graham-Kapowsin High School Expansion
Construction is wrapping up on the Graham-Kapowsin High School expansion project. The 33,000-square-foot expansion is adding a new classroom wing, an auxiliary gym and weight room, along with a larger commons area and administrative spaces. GKHS will also soon be home to a new School-Based Health Clinic, the construction of which is being funded through a congressional award.
New Bethel High School
Construction on the New Bethel High School project is anticipated to begin in 2024, subject to permitting. Once started, the construction timeline is 27 months.
