Construction has officially begun on the new Wayside Schools building, which will become the permanent home for Wayside: Altamira Academy and Wayside: Sci-Tech Preparatory High School.

Wayside Schools celebrated this exciting milestone with a special groundbreaking ceremony, which brought the local community together to be a part of the moment when district leaders, funders, and select students put the first shovels in the ground.

The ceremony began with short speeches by the president of the Wayside Schools Board of Directors, the Superintendent, and the Wayside: Altamira Academy and Wayside: Sci-Tech Preparatory High School principals. Two Seniors who have attended Wayside Schools since they were in elementary school at Wayside: Eden Park Academy along with funders and other Board Members joined those speaking at the front by a sign covered with a tarp. Together, they unveiled the new sign for the construction site, which says “Future Home of Wayside Schools” in big letters, making it apparent to those driving by that a new school is coming.

After the speeches and sign reveal, everyone at the front grabbed a golden shovel and proudly turned the first
batches of soil, indicating that Wayside Schools has officially begun the construction process.

Once built, the new facility will provide even more children in communities around South Austin with a free, rigorous, college preparatory education. Wayside Schools will be able to expand and achieve its vision of serving 2,500 students by 2020.

Thank you to everyone who attended the groundbreaking ceremony to help make this special moment even more memorable. Be on the lookout for more exciting updates throughout the construction process!