At 5,130 Feet, Another New School in Erie is Underway

Last year we celebrated the groundbreaking for a new K8 school in Erie, Colorado for Boulder Valley School District.  This year, we’re celebrating the groundbreaking for another new PK8 school for St. Vrain School District.  This is a fast growing community and the competing school districts are busting at the seams to keep up with the influx of students.

Construction for the new PK-8 school started this spring with planned opening in fall 2018. The school location offers spectacular views of Longs Peak and the Indian Peaks.

Design of the school frames views towards Longs Peak. A specially designed “Surprise Area” offers a place for outdoor gathering inside a large quarter-circle plaza surrounded by a grass berm and shade trees.

Etched plaques representing the highest peaks on each continent will be embedded in the multi-colored decorative concrete plaza including:

  • Aconcagua – 22,841 feet
  • Denali – 20,310 feet
  • Elbrus – 18,510 feet
  • Everest – 29,029 feet
  • Gunnbjorn Fjeld – 12,119 feet
  • Puncak Jaya – 16,024 feet
  • Kilimanjaro – 19,341 feet
  • Kosciuszko – 7,310 feet
  • Longs Peak – 14,259 feet
  • Vinson Massif – 16,050 feet
  • Mont Blanc – 15,774 feet
  • Orizaba – 18,491 feet

And at the center of the plaza, the school’s elevation in Erie is included at 5,130 feet. Other site features include a tree-lined front entrance plaza with sandstone seating and gathering spaces, raised garden beds, a synthetic turf berm in the PK-K play area, and a stabilized-aggregate track and multipurpose field.