Groundbreaking for Severance High School

Weld RE-4 to Break Ground for Severance High School

On January 8, 2018, at 4 p.m., the Weld RE-4 School District will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for Severance High School (SHS), which is expected to open in the fall of 2019. The ceremony will take place at the school site-west of County Road 23 and south of County Road 72 and is open to the public.

In November 2016, voters approved bond and mill levy funding for the Weld RE-4 School District that included $55.7 million to build an 800-student high school in Severance that will eventually be expanded to accommodate 1,200 students. In July of 2017, Chris Garcia joined Weld RE-4 as the principal of the district’s second high school, and, in December 2017, the school board approved a recommendation for the name of the school as well as its mascot and school colors. The recommendation included input from a Severance Middle School student group, the community, and the new high school’s instructional leadership team. SHS will be the home of the Silver Knights. Its colors will be silver, navy, gold, and white.

“The groundbreaking is a very important milestone in the construction of Severance High School,” said Chris Garcia, SHS principal. “Much of the work so far has been to prepare the site for building. Now, our community will be able to see the progress. We anticipate a lot of excitement around the construction itself and in anticipation of our first day of school in the fall of 2019.”

A half-dozen Weld RE-4 educators have been contracted to support the planning of the new high school in addition to their current duties. The SHS instructional leadership team includes a high school counselor; math, language arts, social studies, and world languages teachers; and a district media/technology expert. In addition to developing the school’s mission, vision, and guiding principles, SHS’s instructional leadership team is working to determine the school’s programming and course offerings.

“From the start, Severance High School has been all about collaboration,” said Dan Seegmiller, superintendent of the Weld RE-4 School District. “Our community is making a significant investment in our students, and we’ve counted on their involvement along the way to ensure that both high schools will offer exceptional opportunities for students, maximize the extraordinary talents of our educators, and meet the expectations of our families and residents.”

As the building starts to take shape, instructional planning will continue this spring and summer. In the fall/winter of 2018, the hiring of SHS staff will begin and district high school boundaries will be announced. In early 2019, the school district will publish course description books for both Windsor and Severance high schools.

“One thing we are certain of is that, while we will have two high schools in 2019, we will remain one community united by our dedication to empowering the success of our students and inspiring them to be innovative as they prepare for their future,” said Seegmiller.