The construction in Uvalde for the new elementary school is still underway and is on track to be completed in Fall 2025.
The new school broke ground in 2023 following the Robb Elementary School massacre that claimed the lives of 19 children and two teachers. Friday was the two-year anniversary.
Tim Miller, the executive director of the Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation, said the design around the new school focuses on being trauma informed.
“There's different ways that we try to incorporate the memories of those that lost their lives,” Miller said, “but also make it an educational setting for elementary aged children.”
It will also feature a new gym, music rooms, and a wing for students with special needs.
The Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation has raised 68% of the funds for the construction. The foundation was created shortly after the shooting.
In the fall of 2022, the Foundation began working with the Uvalde CISD Community Advisory Committee to create plans for the new school.
The plans were approved by the Uvalde CISD Board of Trustees in April 2023.
“The families, the parents, the educators, the community members that were part of the community advisory committee,” Miller added. “Safety and security was one of their top criteria.”
The new school is adjacent to Dalton Elementary, the Pre-K-through-first grade campus. The goal is to have a larger Pre-K- through-fourth grade campus with this new construction.
Miller noted that this school will have a fully air-conditioned gymnasium that Dalton students may access.
The library will be covered in vibrant colors, bumblebee- and butterfly-motif wall art, and a large metal oak tree. The oak tree will represent the 21 lives lost.
"There'll always be a very firm memory of the reason why the school is here, as well as ... images throughout the building and in quantities of 21, so that when people also go throughout the building, they'll see that,” he added.
For more information and how to donate, visit the Uvalde Moving Forward Foundation’s website.
