By Kathy Chouteau
The Stege Elementary “Stars” are officially set to receive a new celestial galaxy-themed school on the heels of a “Groundbreaking Celebration” Thursday at 4949 Cypress Ave. in Richmond.
Stege Elementary was demolished last year due to poor conditions. Both public and legal advocacy by parents and teachers prompted the West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) to embark on a full rebuild of the campus rather than a modernization. The resulting $61 million project will include new classroom wings, a multi-purpose building and specialty labs that are expected to open in August 2027 (see renderings here).
Stege students are temporarily attending classes at DeJean Middle School as they await the opening of the new campus.
Reaching this juncture for the oldest school in the WCCUSD, amid a time including a teacher strike and anticipated district budget cuts, “took a village,” supporters said at the groundbreaking.
Before an American flag and an Alten Construction truck, the outdoor celebration featured remarks from members of the “Stege Village” group that helped launch the project, including WCCUSD Superintendent Cheryl Cotton, the School Board’s Guadalupe Enllana and Demetrio Gonzalez-Hoy, Stege Principal Claudia Velez and the district’s Ellen Mejia Hooper, as well as County Supervisor John Gioia, Mayor Eduardo Martinez and other partners. Current and former students, neighbors, community members, construction personnel and architects were also highlighted.
“When we come together for our students, we create a future for them,” said Superintendent Cotton, who served as the event’s emcee.
Principal Velez said the new school will be “a vibrant space where creativity thrives in the midst of flexible spaces that will inspire collaboration and exploration.”
“Our goal is to create an environment where every child feels safe, supported and eager to learn,” Velez added.
Project advocate LaKisha Mitchell-Keith said she is proud to be part of the village that is working collaboratively to raise these children, noting, “Your children are all of our children.” Fellow advocate Michelle Jackson said students and teachers deserve this new school.
Supervisor John Gioia credited a “community that rose up” to ensure the project would go beyond the initial plan for a modernization. He thanked West Contra Costa voters for approved the bond measure (Measure R, 2020) that is covering most of the cost of the school project.
“Today’s really about the success of community caring for its own,” Gioia said.
At the end of the groundbreaking ceremony, Stege students led the crowd in a school song. Then the “Stege Village” group gathered by a dirt pile, grabbed shovels and officially broke ground. After this, the school’s students took over the shovels and broke some ground of their own.
Richmond Mayor Martinez, once a teacher himself, said the Stege project’s community mobilization “is something that should echo way into the future, from school-to-school, from district-to-district, all across our nation.”
