CK High and Middle School ‘a vision that is becoming a reality’

SILVERDALE — Though work started earlier in the summer on the new Central Kitsap High and Middle School campus, the groundbreaking ceremony didn’t take place until Sept. 9.

“It might seem odd to hold a groundbreaking when the work on your new campus has already begun,” Central Kitsap School District Superintendent David McVicker said at the ceremony. “But today, we’re celebrating more than a groundbreaking. We’re celebrating a vision. A vision that is becoming a reality right before our eyes.”

Despite the delay, more than 2,000 students, staff and community members were there to celebrate the beginning of the project that will result in 313,000-square-foot building with a 19,000-square-foot remodeled gymnasium, with a capacity for 2,100 students.

This construction project was made possible when voters approved a $220 million bond in February 2016, which is funding the project.

“You need new schools — you all know this,” McVicker told the students. “What you may not realize is that your new schools are not just new schools. They represent more.

“They represent years of hard work behind the scenes. They represent a commitment to quality education. Most importantly, they represent our community’s belief in you.”

The new campus is expected to be complete in less than two years, in time for the 2019-2020 school year.

“When I picture them, I see more than the promise of new facilities,” McVicker said. “I see memories waiting to be made. Futures shaped. Friendships that last a lifetime. These things are all ahead. And I couldn’t be more excited for you!”

For updates on this and other CKSD construction projects, visit www.ckschools.org/about/construction_updates.

— Michelle Beahm is online editor for Kitsap News Group. She can be reached at mbeahm@soundpublishing.com.

The ceremonial shoveling of dirt rounds out the groundbreaking ceremony Sept. 9 for the new Central Kitsap High and Middle Schools campus. Courtesy CKSD

Construction has already begun on the new high and middle school campus. Courtesy CKSD

The ceremonial shoveling of dirt rounds out the groundbreaking ceremony Sept. 9 for the new Central Kitsap High and Middle Schools campus. Courtesy CKSD