Gov. Hobbs Joins Nadaburg Unified School District to Celebrate Wittman’s First-Ever High School
(WITTMAN, Ariz. – July 25, 2024) – On Friday, July 19, Gov. Katie Hobbs joined Nadaburg Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Aspasia Angelou and District board members Matt Varitek, Dr. Valarie Serrano, Sandy Jordan, Debi Parris, and Nancy Sanchez as well as Arizona State Senator Sine Kerr, former member of Arizona House of Representatives Joanne Osborn, architect EMC2, general contractor CHASSE Building Team, and members of the local community to celebrate the opening of Mountainside High School, the region’s first-ever high school. Located at 29715 N. Crozier Road in Wittman, Mountainside High School is a 67,706-square-foot campus set across 80 acres and will welcome students starting Sept. 6, 2024.
The state-of-the-art school features a 43,000-square-foot classroom building with new administration and nursing offices, conference rooms and a new media/library room.
“There are 23 new classrooms including STEM Labs, Flex Spaces, and 2D/3D art studios to cultivate creativity among students,” said Dr. Angelou. “The campus also features a 25,000-square-foot gymnasium building with locker rooms, weight rooms, training rooms for sports medicine, and a fully furnished kitchen with access to covered outdoor dining areas for student to eat.”
According to Dr. Angelou, the exterior play fields are outfitted for multi-purpose use to allow for baseball, softball, soccer, football, and more.
“Prior to construction, an extensive budget analysis was performed to better understand the District’s needs without impacting project stakeholders. By doing so, the team produced cost effective ways to design and build the new high school,” said Tim Goyette of CHASSE Building Team, the general contractor for the project.
According to Goyette, as a result, the design is focused on creating an open and industrial community learning space.
“This is seen through polished concrete floors and an exposed roof structure that can be viewed throughout the corridors. Restrooms for both boys and girls are available throughout campus, all with full height partitions, access controls with card readers, and security cameras with all-day monitoring,” said Goyette.
Dr. Kathryn Strevell is Mountainside High School’s principal, and Katelynn Paine serves as assistant principal. The school colors are Columbia blue, black, and silver, and its mascot is the wolf. There are currently 300 students enrolled for the upcoming school year, and Mountainside will have the capacity to serve 558. With the Wittmann area foreseeing a growth of around 21,000 in the next five years, the school student body is surely to grow.
“Our goal is to provide as many opportunities as possible for every student’s academic, athletic, and student growth by giving them a voice and choice. Whether participating in-person or online, we understand our responsibility when choosing MHS to serve your student’s educational needs,” said Dr. Strevell. “Our staff is committed to providing all students with the best learning experience possible.”
This opening, according to Dr. Angelou, has been a long-awaited journey.
“Up until August 17, 2020, Nadaburg was the only Unified School District in Arizona that did not have its own traditional high school,” said Dr. Angelou.
In November 2006, district voters approved the unification of the district pursuant to ARS 15-449 (becoming a K-12 district rather than K-8). The unification to a K-12 district became effective July 1, 2007. However, multiple attempts to pass a bond failed over the course of thirteen years, during which time, the district fell under A.R.S. 15-824 (2), and paid for high school students to attend neighboring districts.
In 2019, Dr. Angelou was recruited from Tulsa Public Schools to help.
“I was recruited from Tulsa Public Schools where I served as director of high school design in 2019 and came to support the Nadaburg School District in launching this long-standing dream of a high school for the Wittmann/Surprise community. We successfully passed a small bond in November of 2019, and renovated a building to start the high school program with the goal of what you see today in the back of our minds,” said Dr. Angelou.
Mountainside High School opened in its temporary space with 48 students and a target of 121 students to trigger funding by the Arizona School Facilities Board in 2019.
After searching for two years, a parcel of land was finally purchased with the intent of building the new high school facility.
“From the high school’s inception, the design was for innovative career pathways in addition to college or military readiness. Mountainside High School is committed to a place of belonging for every student, as well as opportunities for internships and careers that will help students and families enjoy a high standard of rural living,” said Dr. Angelou.
Without a strong business presence in Wittmann, the district’s students and staff have been so fortunate to have committed partnerships with Dillon’s at Western Ranch, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Sun City West Kiwanis, CCV on 163rd, and a strong Nadaburg Education Foundation.
“The district’s employees and staff have worked hard to create strong relationships with Wickenburg Community Hospital and West-Mec to bring innovative and effective educational programs for students whether they dream of college, career or military futures. Internships to support rural living, farming and agriculture are important to our local small businesses and school stakeholders,” Dr. Angelou stated.
For more information, www.nadaburgsd.org.
