New Folsom school causing students to actually be excited for first day

Folsom's newest school is ready to open for the upcoming school year, much to the excitement and thrill of a brand new community in South Folsom. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Friday for Alder Creek Elementary School, located at 4545 Old Ranch Way, in the heart of the new community that is being built with homes, businesses, a fire department and now a school. Alder Creek will be open for kids from TK to fifth grade. Hundreds of thrilled families turned out to tour the new school, along with local dignitaries including Mayor Mike Kozlowski; several media outlets were also on hand to report on the event. Folsom Cordova Unified School District Chief of Communications Angela Griffin said it was heartening to see the community embrace their brand new school. "We were overwhelmed by the number of people excited, and that so many families, community members and students came," said Griffin. "It just demonstrates the excitement of coming to school, the first day. Learning and building a community. Being the very first class of your educational career, to be a part of the significance of this brand new school." Alder Creek Elementary has the capacity for 700 students; there are just under 600 students enrolled for the new school year, which begins Thursday, Aug. 8. Griffin said there are about 60 people who will be on staff at Alder Creek, which includes teachers and support staff, such as office and yard duty workers. The school itself is a sight to behold - a state-of-the-art facility that addresses education in a whole new way, with an emphasis on collaboration, movement and comfort. The furniture is modular, so students can adjust their seating arrangements and move around. The classrooms are light and airy and open up to colorful hallways, where there are additional seating options. "Education now is collaborative. Students work together in small groups," Griffin said. "They'll work individually on projects that are suited for their learning goals. And they'll work across different classrooms and different grades. So it's exciting. There's opportunities for students to work in their classroom but also collaborate with their peers." She added, "Young kids have a lot of energy. And that's good. So let's put that to good learning use." "It's magnificent," Kozlowski said. The mayor said he wasn't surprised so many people turned out to tour the school and expressed so much excitement; he said a school is often the glue that holds a community together, and it's especially important in a brand new community where people are trying to make connections. "Being integrated into the school community is a really important way that people do that; the kids make friends with each other, parents make friends with each other, they all do things here in town and become part of that community," he said. "So it's vital and important and I'm really excited to have this place here." The outside playground area also was carefully thought out, with a large playground, a racetrack painted on the asphalt where kids can ride tricycles, and there are basketball hoops and other amenities to help kids burn energy. Parents touring the school were in awe of the innovation involved with utilizing the space in the school, and the opportunities this innovation will provide students. Folsom resident Shantha Muiasoliselvan has a daughter who is entering third grade; she can't wait. "It's very, very great. We are so excited to come here," said Muiasoliselvan. "The hallways are big, classrooms are big and the ambience is very, very nice. The kids are so excited." There are now 37 schools in the Folsom Cordova Unified School District, according to Griffin, and no doubt there will be many more as the community grows. "We're going like gangbusters," the mayor said. With Folsom recently becoming one of the fastest-growing cities in California, Kozlowski said there will be more new families moving to the area and thus a need for more schools. With that kind of growth and change, he said a major pillar of a community is the local school. Alder Creek Elementary offers that foundation to this new community. "It's in your neighborhood. It's the one large building often in the neighborhood lots of times and so it draws attention and for all the right reasons. It's a great place to go," Kozlowski said. "It's exciting that so many new young families are here and that we have a great school for them."