ROCK SPRINGS — Sweetwater County School District No. 1 is excited to update our community on the progress of our new Rock Springs High School Satellite School.
This project has been in the planning stages for an extended time, starting back in 2006 when Sweetwater County School District No. 1 developed a long-range facilities plan. The land for the Satellite Campus was obtained from the Bureau of Land Management; and is the current site of Sage Elementary, Pilot Butte Elementary, and Stagecoach Elementary.
The site was procured with the vision of housing multiple schools including a future high school. The District followed the careful process for several years demonstrating the dire need for a satellite school and the project officially kicked off on April 3, 2020. The new satellite school will be a welcome addition to our community and to our District schools.
Three Most Cost Effective Remedy (MCER) Studies were conducted in 2014, 2015, and 2017. These studies resulted in the same conclusion: Rock Springs High School needed additional instructional space to educate students and the current RSHS campus had met its maximum capacity.
The Satellite campus will serve approximately 160 students at any given time with 44,110 square feet at a price of $17,981,372 and is designated as phase one. As future growth is realized in the years to come, the school is master planned in such a way that additions can be added as the needs of our community change. Schools within the state of Wyoming are funded at a state level, through the State Construction Department, School Construction Division (SCD). The funding is not accessible to schools for anything other than addressing state identified building capacity and condition needs. The District is very grateful to the SCD, and our local and state legislators for their support of and advocacy for our students, without this support this project would not have been possible.
What the school should look like when completed. Courtesy photo 
From this perspective one can see the classroom wing, the open common space and where the front office will eventually be framed. Courtesy photo
We understand in normal times this important event would have been surrounded with many celebrations filling the corner of Summit Drive and Stagecoach Boulevard. A perfect example of this is the groundbreaking event. The District attempted to schedule this opportunity several times, but when the safety of our community was considered, it was not possible due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus situation. Progress continues to be seen daily and is moving along for a fall 2021 projected opening. Many of our local tradesmen and craftsmen serve an active part of the construction of the new school campus. We are proud of the local companies that comprise a majority of the workforce.
This project is a visual reminder that we as a school community continue to move forward in planning and preparing for our students, both this fall and into the future. While preparing to welcome this year’s students, exceeding 1,500 in number, Rock Springs High School in partnership with District staff, will continue to refine staff and student schedules for the new building, including plans for transportation, nutrition services and student safety. As plans become more concrete and we get closer to the opening, the District will share them with the community.
When health directives allow, we will be inviting the entire Tiger community to celebrate with us, please be watching for more information. In the interim please see the included pictures of the building progress.
Remember, regardless of location and logistics we are all Tigers, two buildings does mean more instructional space; but does not separate us into two schools. We are and will continue to be Tigers. As many have heard the motto, ‘once a Tiger, always a Tiger’.
