A School Built ‘for the Next Century’

Students, educators, parents and administrators in the Tustin Unified School District on Tuesday dedicated Peters Canyon Elementary, the district’s newest school.

The $7-million school, at 26900 Peters Canyon Road in the Tustin Ranch area, opened in September with 320 students.

Tuesday’s ceremony featured guest speakers and a student multimedia presentation about the school. While the audience consisted mostly of parents, students viewed the event simultaneously on classroom monitors.

“What I appreciate most about a new school is the sense of community that develops in the surrounding area and then within the school,” Tustin Unified Supt. George Mannon said. “It’s a wonderful thing.”

Peters Canyon is the second elementary school to open in Tustin in 25 years, after Tustin Ranch Elementary, which opened in 1995. Construction was financed through a Mello Roos assessment district that will be repaid by future homeowners.

Peters Canyon was built in response to district enrollment growth and class-size reduction programs. The 42,000-square- foot school on a 10-acre campus will accommodate as many as 650 students, Principal Judy Levinsohn said.

The school incorporates the latest computer and online technology, including a video production studio and media center. The technology also allows video conferencing between classrooms.

“It’s a school for the next century,” Mannon said.