Silver Valley Elementary School, the seventh elementary school for Queen Creek Unified School District, is located in the Cadence master-planned community in Mesa, Arizona. As one of the fastest growing school districts in the Valley, the new elementary school will feature technology-rich, collaborative learning spaces that provide comprehensive academics, leadership, and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) programs. The new school aligns with Queen Creek Unified School District’s number one goal of upholding and growing their high educational standards in both program and facility. Silver Valley will encourage collaborative teaching throughout the campus with it’s shared specialty and breakout spaces, smart labs for technology-based, hands-on programs, and wet lab makerspace to enhance S.T.E.M. curriculum. Multiple buildings will frame a central courtyard, extending learning and gathering opportunities to the outdoors. Large garage doors open to make room for large group activities, dining, assemblies, and events in the courtyard.

The inspiration for Silver Valley Elementary School comes from the Silver Queen Mine, which used to be part of the Superstition and San Tan Mountain areas, the valley the school sits between. The people who worked in the mine lived in what is now Queen Creek. The bottom of the mountain where this mine was located was a creek named Pickett Post Creek, later renamed Queen Creek.

Silver Valley Elementary School is a new PreK-6 school sitting on just over 15 acres. The project consists of four buildings, totaling 88,421 square feet. There are two single-story buildings which include the administrative space, gymnasium, library, kitchen and cafeteria, and two two-story buildings which house all of the classrooms. Heavily traveled exterior walkway adjacent to the buildings and in the front of the school will be covered by detached, structural steel canopies. The site includes multiple basketball courts and playgrounds as well as a baseball, softball, and a soccer field. Silver Valley Elementary is slated to open for the 2019-2020 school year.

Check out a video of their groundbreaking below!