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“We are a family at College Place, so come and see, come from near and far to be!”
Five former teachers and staff sang the College Place Elementary School song We Are a Family Wednesday as they brought up memories of their time working on campus during the groundbreaking ceremony of the new campus for College Place Elementary and College Place Middle School.
The ceremony marked the start of construction for a modern, shared campus for College Place Elementary and Middle School, which will provide “innovative learning spaces, enhanced safety and security features, and opportunities for collaboration while preserving the unique traditions and identities of both of these schools,” Edmonds School District Superintendent Rebecca Miner said during opening remarks.
“We’re also celebrating years of planning, collaboration and commitment, as well as support from our community that has brought us to this moment,” Miner said. “Projects like this do not happen on their own. They require the dedication, vision, expertise and countless hours of so many people behind the scenes.”
School Board President Nancy Katims thanked voters who approved the Edmonds School District’s $594 million bond measure in 2024 with more than 64% support. The bond allocates an estimated $210 million to replace College Place Elementary and College Place Middle schools on their current Lynnwood campus as part of the District’s plan to move sixth grade to middle school and improve educational outcomes. The schools will be rebuilt as a single project to enhance safety and maximize use of District property, according to the District.
“Today’s groundbreaking is a reminder that when communities invest in public education, extraordinary things can happen,” Katims said. “Thank you to everyone who believed in this vision and helped bring it to fruition.”
Lynnwood Mayor George Hurst said that while it’s sad to see the old school go away, he’s happy that there will be a campus that will last a long time. “[It’s] a priority in the City to make sure that all construction projects go smoothly,” he said. “We just want to move forward to look at the vision of the Edmond School District.”
During the flag-lowering ceremony, College Place Elementary Interim Principal Christi Kessler said the true heart of the school is not the building but the people in it.
“It is the students who walk through the doors each morning with curiosity, creativity and endless potential,” she said. “It is the teachers who inspire, challenge and encourage them every day. It is the paraeducators, office staff, custodians, nutrition services staff, counselors, specialists, volunteers and families who work together to create a place where children feel safe, supported and valued.”
Kessler introduced a group of students who acted as color guards during the flag-lowering ceremony. “While this building may soon be gone, everything that makes this school special will continue,” she said. “As the flag is lowered today, it will be raised again when our new school is complete.”
During construction, College Place Elementary students will attend school at Woodway Elementary School. College Place Middle students will stay in their current building until the new middle school is complete. School officials said the old middle school campus will continue to operate for the next two school years and will be demolished when the new campus opens in the fall of 2028.
After the ceremony, former College Place Elementary Principal Sue Venable and third-grade teacher Tami Thompson said they remember former Olympian Joe Rantz speaking on campus in 1998 and bringing his gold medals.
Retired teacher Judy Triggs described a last-day-of-school ritual in which staff lined up by the school buses and blew bubbles as children cheered from the windows.
Teacher Rynae McKinney, who is still working at College Place Elementary, pointed to the Natural Leaders initiative, which helped multilingual parents connect with the school staff.
Thompson also mentioned how the PTA started with only eight people and credited Venable with starting the kindergarten Jump Start program, which is now used across the District.
Venable said she is excited for the students who will be on the new campus.
“They will have a beautiful, safe school to learn in everyday, so I’m excited for the future,” she said.
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