Staff, Students, Parents Rededicate School
After being closed for 17 years, John R. Peterson Elementary School has a new life.
The campus reopened last September, and on Thursday, students, teachers and parents held a rededication ceremony as part of an effort to build school spirit.
“It’s like the Phoenix rising from its ashes,” Principal Dareen Yonts said. “We’ve had to create something entirely new out of scratch.”
The Huntington Beach City School District closed the campus in 1981 because of declining enrollment. But enrollment is now booming and more space is needed as a result of the statewide class-size reduction program.
The district spent $2.1 million to renovate the campus. A diverse student body has aided in nurturing the school’s evolving identity, Yonts said.
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