STAR, Idaho — Star families got their first look inside Independence Elementary on Thursday evening as West Ada School District hosted a community open house at its newest campus.
The construction crew paused work to allow the community inside for the event. Principal Jeff Christopherson welcomed families gathered outside and led them in for an early look at classrooms and common areas — and to officially unveil the school's logo and colors.
"There's so much excitement. I mean, you can hear it in the air. So I just wanted to invite everyone in, meet all of our families and friends, and unveil our logo and our school colors," Christopherson said.
Watch to learn the latest about Star's Independence Elementary.
The school's colors are blue, and the mascot is one that fits the community.
"We've got a lot of osprey around Star, and we're super excited about being the Osprey," Christopherson said.
He said the district's executive team helped narrow down the mascot options with a clear goal in mind.
"We didn't want to repeat any of the existing mascots. We wanted to be our own thing. We wanted to tie it to Star. We wanted to make it something that was unique and tied to Star here," Christopherson said.
Students and parents were invited to sign their names on the cafeteria floor, leaving a permanent memory that will be sealed beneath the final finishes before the school opens.
"They got to leave their mark. They got to leave their name, so they're going to be eating lunch in the cafeteria and knowing that their name is right there. It's just a super cool way to write their name and leave their mark before we close it up and polish it up," Christopherson said.
The new campus comes as Star continues to grow rapidly. Independence Elementary will help ease overcrowding and give students more room to learn.
Marissa Regalado, whose daughter Adeline will be a 2nd grader at Independence Elementary, said her family has been eagerly anticipating the new school for a year.
"We've been waiting for the school for a whole year. When we heard about it, we're like crossing our fingers that we get to get in," Regalado said.
She said her family understood the growth that was driving the need for a new school and had heard great things about Star Elementary, but was excited when Independence was announced.
"We knew that it was gonna give us an opportunity to still get plugged in with the community, but also give all the kids, like, the proper chance to really feel that intimacy that you want in a school system."
Regalado said seeing the school's blue colors revealed at the open house brought a special feeling to her family.
"It's kind of like that show 'Friday Night Lights' — it brings that hometown feeling, and now we're gonna have two different schools. We love the blue. Her middle name is Blue. We're a law enforcement family. We love blue, so we're excited about that," Regalado said.
She said she hopes parents get involved as well.
"I'm just hoping that they keep the student-teacher ratio good and that parents get involved and, you know, join the PTO so that we could all like work together with the teachers of the community," Regalado said.
Adeline, who will be among the first 2nd graders at Independence Elementary, said she is adjusting to the idea of a new school.
"I'm really used to Star, but I think I might get used to this for the better," Adeline said.
She said she is most excited about what the new year will bring.
"Probably learning new things and seeing what the school is gonna be all about."
Knox Tuller will be one of the first 5th graders at Independence Elementary — the oldest grade in the school. He said the transition comes with mixed emotions but that he is ready for what is ahead.
"It's gonna be a nice journey, and I get leaving Star's kind of sad, but going to Independence, it's gonna be fun, better," Knox said.
He said being in the oldest grade feels both significant and ordinary at the same time.
"It's going to feel great, but at the same time, it's just like a regular grade. You're the highest grade in elementary, and it's going to be the last grade," Knox said.
Knox said the school's blue colors were an easy sell for him.
"I love it because I'm a Dodgers fan. The blue really like makes me happy because it's gonna be like a Dodger," Knox said.
Teacher Amanda Tuller said the new school reflects the community's commitment to its kids.
"To be able to open another school for all these guys coming into Star is amazing. So I don't know, I feel like it shows how much we love our kids and our community, and I think that's the best part."
Another student said the care that went into building the school was already apparent.
"I feel like they've put a lot of time into making the school really nice. It's gonna be really big, and I'm just really excited."
Behind the scenes, Christopherson said the team is working on the systems and operations that will make the school run smoothly from day one. Hiring is nearly complete, and he said building the staff has been a meaningful challenge given how many people wanted to be part of something new.
"There's so much excitement and people that want to be a part of something special here. We've built a really great team. I'm really excited about the teachers we have, and I know it's just gonna be such an exciting place," Christopherson said.
"Just overall excitement. It's so cool to see kids in the building, so we're almost there," Christopherson said.
Independence Elementary will officially open in August.
