Students, parents, staff and community members gathered in the multipurpose room of Stonegate Elementary School Wednesday to dedicate Irvine Unified's newest campus, which opened in September. Though Stonegate, with its inverted-pyramid skylights and energy-efficient "cool roof," is considered IUSD's greenest facility, the audience was awash in red, the school's dominant color, as they heard remarks by Principal Bruce Terry, school board member Sue Kuwabara, PTA President Connie Stone and Superintendent Gwen Gross.
Principal Bruce Terry emcees the dedication of Stonegate Elementary School.
"As much as we are here to celebrate the newness of Stonegate, we are reminded that so much of what makes this school great has been with us all along," Kuwabara said. "From its former life as Westwood Basics Plus, we have brought an immensely talented and dedicated staff, a stellar crop of young minds and some of the most passionate parents and volunteers in Irvine. We have also transplanted Westwood’s intangibles, including its traditions and its culture of excellence." In addition to the adult speakers, students Travis Miller, Derek Jin, Caitlin Kreditor and Jordan Dayer read a poem about their campus, and classmates Aiden Ahn and Priya Jagadish delivered brief speeches. Guests were then treated to a special Stonegate video courtesy of Shane Cline, IUSD's webmaster. The event wrapped up with the audience singing, "You're a Grand Old Flag," led by Dr. Gross on piano. Other guests included Irvine Mayor Sukhee Kang, representatives from PJHM Architects Inc. and builder C.W. Driver, and district staff.