Underneath blue skies and brilliant sunshine, the official groundbreaking ceremony for Denair Elementary Charter Academy’s gymnasium renovation project was held Friday at the campus.
Denair Unified School District Board of Trustees members were on hand – along with Superintendent Terry Metzger, Ed.D., Chief Business Official Daisy Swearingen, DECA Principal Crystal Sousa, Food Service Manager Kim Fuentez, and Director of Facilities, Construction, Maintenance, Operations, and Transportation Mark Hodges – for the ceremony. Additionally, seven members of the DECA student council, who displayed their school pride with their purple construction hard hats, took part in the festivities.
“We are so incredibly grateful to the voters of Denair for passing Measure Z,” said Metzger, referring to the $34.3 million school-improvement bond measure approved in November 2024. “And we’re excited to kick off our first project on the DECA campus. It will be beneficial not only for our students and staff, but for the entire community, as well.”
The DECA gymnasium facelift includes the addition of the school’s new kitchen and a new Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning system.
In the coming months, other scheduled improvement projects include:
- Construction of two new classroom wings
- Creation of drop-off/pick-up and bus zones on Madera Avenue
- Conversion of the old cafeteria into an administration building and library
- Making DECA a single-point entry campus
