End of June Pictures

A view of the front with sidewalks and rough road.

Counters and cabinets for the secretaries in the office.

Faculty workroom and storage area.

Librarian's workspace and book checkout area.

The gym/cafeteria already has basketball hoops and lunch tables installed.

The classrooms are getting carpet and whiteboards.

Latest Pictures

The front entrance of the school is taking shape. The large skylights (covered with green protective plastic at the moment) are almost complete.

These cabinets still need to be installed, but it gives you an idea of what the cabinetry in the classrooms will look like.

Here is a picture of the fine faculty restrooms. Aren't they marvelous! :-)

Latest Pictures

 This will be the floor in the cafeteria kitchen.

This will be the steps in the "kiva" (or small theater) connected to the library.

This is the skylight in the southwest hallway.

This is a view of the Grand Canyon from Mather Point (where my family was fortunate to be able to spend some time during Spring Break).

A Few Helpful Tidbits

#1) Thunder Ridge now has a mascot. We are the Raptors (as in the dinosaur)! We have a couple of graphic artists working on some "kid-friendly" versions of this fun mascot that has ties to Utah's geologic history. There are no other schools in the district with this mascot, so it will be unique!

#2) Our school colors will be blue, green, and silver.

#3) The school is scheduled to be finished on July 29. Look for more details about the dedication of the building and other celebrations as we get closer to the completion date.

#4) Nearly all of our K-6th teaching positions have tentatively been filled by teachers who excitedly volunteered to come to Thunder Ridge Elementary. Most of the volunteers are coming from Harvest Elementary, Saratoga Shores Elementary, and Pony Express Elementary (and a couple coming with me from Lindon Elementary). Once placements are official, I will publish a faculty list. I think you will be very pleased with the quality, experience, and energy of our staff!

Most Recent Pics

Here is a look at the gym/cafeteria. You can see the stage in the background.

This is a view from the main hallway looking west out toward main entrance.

This picture is of the media center. You can see the large skylight in the middle.

Here is a picture of a classroom. The blue part of the wall is impact resistant drywall--not paint.

This picture was taken from where the playground will eventually be (the mountains are southwest).

It's Official! We are Thunder Ridge Elementary!

I would like to thank all of the students and parents that submitted names for consideration. I would also like to thank the wonderful PTA moms that joined me on the Naming Committee. As a Naming Committee we sifted through the submitted names, weighed pro and cons, and used consensus and voting procedures to decide on three potential names--Thunder Ridge, Skyview, and Hillside. Those names were submitted to the the Board of Education two weeks ago for their consideration. Tonight the Board of Education announced that our new school will officially be named Thunder Ridge Elementary!

The Special Needs school being built right next door has been named Horizon School.

The other new elementary school being built behind Wal-Mart has been dubbed Riverview Elementary.

Good Transportation News for Silver Lake

I just received confirmation from the Transportation Department that they will provide busing to all of the students in the Silver Lake neighborhood! As with the concerns from Dalmore Meadows and Sunrise Meadows, it is great to know that the district is willing to work hard and commit resources to find solutions! I hope this news helps brighten your day and relieve some of the stress you might have about attending the new school.

P.S. Soon I will be able to post the three potential new school names we will submit to the Board of Education on March 8th.