Susan Dell’ Osso stood between a pair of markings at Thursday’s groundbreaking ceremony for the new River Islands High School.
“This will be the front door of the administration building,” she said, pointing at the pegs.
Dell’Osso is the River Islands Development President as well as the River Islands Academies school board president.
The 36,000 square foot administrative building alone will be half the size bigger than EPIC Academy where River Islands High Principal Carey Simoni has her freshmen class at the kindergarten through eighth-grade campus of the Banta Unified School District.
They’re the Class of 2026 or the first graduates of the River Island High Riptides.
The Riptide – the school colors are Navy blue and teal – is the mascot of the new high school that’s being built on 46 acres of land along Paradise Road and River Islands Parkway.
Coincidentally, the River Island High groundbreaking ceremony took place on the same day of several local graduations including Lathrop High.
Banta Unified school board President Doug Diestler saw the significance of soil during the groundbreaking.
“We’re building hope, community, and our future,” he said.
Banta Unified Superintendent Rechelle Pearlman noted that the new high school will be “the heart and soul of the community” not to mention a place for future leaders.
The groundbreaking event featured plenty of today’s leaders, including San Joaquin County Superintendent of Schools Troy Brown and City of Lathrop Mayor Sonny Dhaliwal.
River Islands Academies Executive Director Brenda Scholl opened the ceremony by welcoming those in attendance.
River Islands band director played the Stars-Spangled Banner on trumpet. He later led members of the Riptide Drumline in their performance in front of guests and dignities.
The program also included words from Simoni, Principal Architect Eric Wohle of LDA Partners, and the Hale Construction team – the latter consisting of Lyn Hale and Johnathan Hale led in the tour of the campus site.
The first phase of the $150 million first phase of River Islands High is targeted to be ready for the start of the 2024-2025 school year.
The first phase includes a pair of 2-story classroom buildings that will be built initially as well as a career technical education center. The first phase also includes the big gym, locker-room, cafeteria, and band complex and the two-story administration building.
A second phase that will start several years after the first is finished, will include a third 2-story classroom structure, a black box theater, and a small gym.
Altogether, there will be roughly 300,000 square feet in the first phase.
Educators working with River Islands Academies spent several years touring high schools up and down California to come up with the design and what they wanted included in the campus.
The administrative complex that includes the media center has dedicated space for an expansive student store and dedicated space for student government among other touches in the student center.
Banta Unified School District will own the high school campus but it will be operated by River Islands Academies.
The campus main access will be via Riptide Way off of River Island Parkway just east of the current alignment of Paradise Road.
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