Juniper Basin was featured in the news! Read below to see what KUTV reported about our school:
EAGLE MOUNTAIN, Utah (KUTV) — Construction crews have been hard at work in northern Utah County on one of three new schools in the area, prompted by ongoing growth.
ARC Salt Lake spoke to the new principal of Juniper Basin Elementary School and the president of the Lake Mountain School District.
They said growth in Eagle Mountain and Saratoga Springs have brought in new families and an influx of students.Juniper Basin principal John Emett said his team has been busy getting ready for students in the fall.
“We are still building the school right now and we will be ready for students in August when they come for the first day of school,” Emett said. “We’re also going to be hosting an open house in the summer.”
The boards of the Alpine and Lake Mountain School Districts voted to close nearly Cedar Valley Elementary – one of the oldest school buildings in the state.
It was determined the building only had the capacity for one classroom per grade and a larger facility was needed.
“We are hoping to absorb so much of the growth that you see in Eagle Mountain right now,” Emett said. “We’ll also be absorbing the students from the closure of Cedar Valley Elementary.”
He said students at the new school would come from the Cedar Fort, White Hills, and Fairfield neighborhoods.
“We’re excited to put all these great neighborhoods together,” he said.
Initially, school officials expected around 800 students. They’ve asked parents in the area to enroll early so they can determine needs to start their first year.
“We plan and expect continued growth, so there’s room to grow here in this elementary school, which is great,” Emett said. “The task that we have right now is to confirm enrollments.”
He said early and accurate enrollment numbers would help them to know how many teachers to hire.
The school mascot has been named as the Kestrel Falcons.
“These little falcons – they have incredible vision, wonderful focus – so we thought they’d be a good mascot to emulate,” Emett said.