(PHOTOS) ‘A win for kids’: Coyote Ridge Elementary has state-of-the-art learning spaces for teachers, students

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — In only a few weeks, more than 400 fifth and sixth graders in Cheyenne will become the district’s first proud Coyotes.

On Tuesday afternoon, faculty and officials with Laramie County School District 1 welcomed the district’s newest school, Coyote Ridge Elementary, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The school, located at 5515 Powderhouse Road, is the culmination of community and state stakeholders uniting “for a cause larger than ourselves,” said LCSD1 Superintendent Stephen Newton during the ceremony.

“This school is a testament to what can be done when people come together with a common vision and a commitment to ensuring a high-quality educational experience for our children,” Newton said. “Today is a win for kids. Today is a win for families, and today is a win for the great city of Cheyenne.”

Fifty staff members — around half of which are teachers — will be serving close to 430 students this fall, according to Chelsea Cox, who was appointed principal of Coyote Ridge in January. Cox has been with the district 11 years and previously held the position of associate principal at Johnson Junior High. Regarding the amenities at Coyote Ridge, Cox is most excited about the new classrooms and the potential they present for project-based learning.

District board trustees Tim Bolin, Alicia Smith, Brooke Humphrey and Brittany Ashby sat alongside Newton during the ceremony. In 2013, the district conducted a study and found that it was experiencing a 1% growth rate year over year, Bolin said. The district was also aware that the Cheyenne’s existing elementary schools were overcrowded. The solution, Bolin said, was to create a new learning facility.

Classes are set to begin Monday, Aug. 26 in LCSD1.