WSMS students celebrate new campus

As the west and southwest portions of Orange County continue to grow at a shocking pace, the need for additional schools has increased. 

For the last two years, the students of Water Spring Middle School have shared a campus with Horizon High School while the new relief middle school was under construction. 

Now, Wildcat families will have a home to call their own as the new, state-of-the-art WSMS campus will officially open for the first day of school Thursday, Aug. 10. 

SCHOOL SYNOPSIS

WSMS first opened to students in August 2021. 

The school serves as a feeder school for students from Hamlin, Water Spring and Panther Lake elementaries. 

The school currently hosts a little over 700 students, but is expected to hit 1,000 students by January. The school’s capacity serves 1,215 students.

The new facility sits on 25 acres located at Water Spring Boulevard and Point Rock Drive.

The project, led by Project Manager Tamara Cox, was approved with an adopted budget of $50.5 million. Harvard Jolly served as the architect and Core Construction was selected as the contractor. 

Water Spring Boulevard is the main driveway for vehicle queueing; Point Rock serves as the bus drop-off access. A single point of entry is located to the north of the property. 

With a gross floor area of 169,362, WSMS houses four buildings and three floors, with administration, media center, art and labs, music space, a kitchen and multipurpose dining area, classrooms and collaborative space, and a gymnasium.

The campus also has fields for soccer and softball, tennis courts, and space for future portables.

The school will offer program highlights such as world languages, digital video technology, Project Lead the Way, fine arts, athletics and agriculture. 

American Sign language, French, Spanish and Portuguese will all be offered. 

In addition, the YMCA will serve as the after school program.

The school will be led with the help of the Parent Teacher Student Organization, the School Advisory Committee and more than 60 staff members. 

WSMS was recognized as an “A” school for the 2022-23 school year.

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Brian Sanchez Corona will serve as the principal for WSMS. Arnetta Heidelberg and Nicole Mutters will serve as assistant principals. 

“(This location) is now the official hub of the community, and we could not be prouder,” Sanchez Corona said. “It does not just house school staffulty, it houses the whole Wildcat community (citizens and businesses). Through our partnerships, we are working to enhance not only teaching and learning but local community life as well.”

Sanchez Corona said he had the pleasure of experiencing the sheer awe from both students and parents at the community sneak peek event hosted Friday, Aug. 4.

“I witnessed current students and future Wildcats shout that they cannot wait to start school here,” he said. “That excitement can be easily harnessed and transferred to amazing learning experiences. Also, we are excited to welcome each new student to our community and strengthen our school culture even more.”

Sanchez Corona said what makes the school unique is the way it was born into existence unlike any other.

“We had two-and-a-half years to develop a school culture and climate before our school building was even finished,” he said. “What an amazing opportunity. By the time we opened … we were firmly established. We didn’t have to construct the physical building at the same time we were trying to figure out who we were as a school. It turned out to be a beautiful thing.”

PTSO President Kati Dukes said she thinks it means more than words can express for families to finally have a home of their own. 

“We have been waiting a very long time for this,” she said. “With adjustments from COVID-19 and distance learning, then going into a shared space with the high school for two years, some students have never stepped on a home campus during their middle school career until now. There has been so much movement for these kiddos. It feels like we can finally relax our shoulders and let out a comforting sigh of relief. We finally made it.” 

Dukes said she is honored to serve as PTSO president and the organization has worked hard to set up a strong foundation for its teachers, students and staff.

“As new schools do, we started with what felt like extremely limited funds,” she said. “The PTSO board and Wildcat families really rallied together to build our PTSO foundation and help create the best experiences and memories for everyone. We linked arms and held on tight to a few community partners. Without their support, we would not have been able to provide as many events, donate to families in need, or support the school the way we were able to. They helped us feel seen. Moving into the new school year with a brand new building feels like a dream.”

Now that the school has a brick-and-mortar home, Dukes said the PTSO has several new projects it will be working on.

The main focuses include creating an interactive mural for the students, helping the athletic department secure sports jerseys and setting up legacy events. 

Dukes explained the legacy event focus will help generate Wildcat culture. 

This year, eighth-grade Wildcats will be able to leave their mark, literally, on the campus with the third annual handprint wall event. In years past, the school has used a large sheet of Kraft paper and hung it on the wall.

Eighth-grader Madison Dukes will have her first middle school campus with the opening of the new facility. 

“(I’m most excited to see) what an actual middle school campus is like,” she said. 

LOOKING AHEAD

Kati Dukes said she knows the school will continue its path of success because of the leadership of Sanchez Corona.

“He ran this school since it was set up in the portables with Horizon High School,” she said. “He built the main foundations of what we are seeing today. He coined the term ‘And as always, GO WILDCATS!’ He did it all with passion and expectation of seeing the greatness that it is today. With Sanchez Corona as the principal, I only see one trajectory. That is a path of extreme success and bright futures for all who attend or get caught in his path.”

Sanchez Corona said the school will continue to focus on a culture of a supportive community and student achievement; one not over the other but equal in nature.

He said he hopes the school will be synonymous with the concept of community.  

“When people in Waterleigh and Horizon West discuss the amazing community we live and work in, by default, they are also talking about the school,” he said. “We want Water Spring Middle School to be seen as a model for providing high quality educational experiences as well as a destination for community engagement.”