Des Moines metro schools battle heat as they open for the year with new buildings, leaders

Schools across the metro welcomed students again on Wednesday — some like Urbandale and Waukee with new buildings, and others like Des Moines with new leaders.

The temperature was up but the sun was not when new Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts arrived to greet transportation staff for the first day of school. By 6:30 a.m., Roberts was outside greeting district bus drivers with a "good morning" and asking a few people how long they have driven for the district.

Some bus drivers honked as they left to pick up students.

“I had to come out and make sure that I express my gratitude to them, not only for a great day today, but we're looking forward to an exciting year,” Roberts said.

Roberts was hired this year to lead Iowa's largest and most diverse school district. He comes to Iowa at a time when the state's education system is going through major changes, ranging from a new law that bars students and adults from using bathrooms or changing rooms that do not correspond with their sex assigned at birth, to Senate File 496, which bans books in schools featuring sex acts and bars teaching students through sixth grade about gender identity and sexual orientation.

Roberts and administrators have focused on mitigating any negative impacts as staff members implement the new laws.

Related: Seven big changes Iowa parents and students will see when the new school year begins

“We want to make sure that regardless of the lived experiences or identities, every single educator in this district —teachers, leaders and staff — will continue to feel seen, heard and supported,” he said. “And so that's our commitment.”

At the school level, principals have been working to prepare staff for the changes.

"I don't feel concerned about it. A lot of changes for sure, but this summer they've done a lot of training for the principals to get us ready for it," said new Samuelson Elementary School Principal Benjamin LaConner. "Des Moines has a lot of support people to help us through that stuff. So, my hope is that for the kids, it's going to feel like a normal year."

Roberts also met with Samuelson Elementary School families before school. While he mingled outside the school, he talked with some of the school's 370 students and complimented several on their shoes.

Roberts — who is known for his stylish clothes — wore blue and yellow sneakers as a nod to the school district's official colors.

He pointed out first-grade student Aiden Burgus' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle sneakers. While he likes the Ninja Turtles, Aiden told the Des Moines Register his No. 1 favorite cartoon character is Spider-Man.

Aiden's mother, Vanessa Burgus, said she was "a little anxious" about her son attending school. "(School is) from 7:15 to 2:30, so it's gonna be a long day for all of us," she said.

Roberts was expected to visit about a half-dozen district buildings to meet staff and students Wednesday.

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Wednesday marked the hottest first day of school since 2012

Across the state, school districts braced for one of the hottest first weeks of school since 2012. The heat is caused by moisture from the Gulf of Mexico making conditions unseasonably humid and warm. An excessive heat warning is in effect until late Thursday.

As temperatures edged toward 100 degrees in the metro area, a number of Iowa schools, including Des Moines, announced outdoor activities would be curbed, but school would go on as planned. Johnston later announced it would close early Wednesday and Thursday "due to excessive heat and geothermal cooling not keeping up in some buildings."

Des Moines moved a Thursday evening football game between North and East high schools to Saturday morning because of the heat.

Related: New principals and construction: what families will see as Des Moines metro schools start

Some schools across the state pushed back the start date until Monday and others planned to dismiss students early Wednesday, according to Iowa State Education Association officials.

Des Moines, Southeast Polk, Norwalk, Waukee and Johnston school districts assured families that their buildings are air-conditioned.

"There is something about the combination of the State Fair and the first day of school that seems to serve as a heat generator in Iowa," Des Moines spokesperson Phil Roeder said. "But, even with that predictable weather trend, we are heading towards what will the hottest first few days of school we’ve seen in years. The good thing is that all of our classrooms throughout the district are air-conditioned, so while the heat will impact outdoor activities, it at least won’t cause a change to the school day."

New elementary, middle schools open in Urbandale and Waukee

At the westernmost edge of the metro on Wednesday — bordered by cornfields and a new residential neighborhood — Trailridge School opened the first chapter of what’s expected to be its growing and changing story in the years ahead.

Trailridge, at 1455 N.W. Douglas Parkway, is Waukee’s fifth middle-level school in the district. The approximately 70 classrooms and learning spaces eventually will welcome about 1,000 students, but district Chief Operating Officer Kirk Johnson said the new school opened with about 450 students in the sixth and seventh grades.

That will grow to include eighth-grade students next school year and bring the number of students up to about 700, Johnson said, before the building transitions to only ninth grade students in fall 2025.

North Middle School — next door to the east on an 80-acre campus that also includes the district’s pool facility — is expected to open in fall 2025, according to district spokesperson Kayla Choate. The pool facility, or natatorium, located west of Trailridge, is expected to be completed this coming school year, Choate said.

Construction on Trailridge — a more than $50 million project — started in 2021, she said.

Adam Shockey, Trailridge’s principal, said his primary goal for the school year is building the school’s community, which he defined as “trusting, affecting” relationships with students and families.

Most of the school’s teachers and staff on Wednesday wore T-shirts that read “Trust. Team. Together.”

Shockey also said he looked forward “to feel the energy” of students in the building, having watched it physically come together from bare studs to a place full of collaborative spaces — open areas with chairs, tables, couches and team meeting rooms.

Jodi Allen, a parent who has twin daughters in the sixth grade, said “we love that we have new facilities” but what makes the school special is its staff.

Allen said her girls, Macey and Morgan, were looking forward to having new teachers, making new friends and catching up with old ones.

In Urbandale, a big new school with a familiar name opened for the first time.

Students arrived at the brand new, $29 million Valerius Elementary in droves, a little over five years after district voters approved a $59 million referendum to turn four elementary buildings into two and add a fitness center to the high school.

The new Olmsted, which opened in 2021, and the new Valerius, which opened Wednesday, replace four smaller elementary buildings — Olmsted, Valerius, Jensen and Rolling Green — that were aging and had become inefficient to operate, with student populations dwindling to under 300.

District officials projected the move could save $1.8 million annually while equipping the new schools with modern technology and programming.

The old Valerius was demolished, and its students attended school in the Jensen building during construction. Urbandale now has four elementaries: Valerius, Olmsted, Webster and the year-round Karen Acres.

Philip Joens contributed to this story.

Samantha Hernandez covers education for the Register. Reach her at (515) 851-0982 or svhernandez@gannett.com.

Chris Higgins covers the eastern suburbs for the Register. Reach him at chiggins@registermedia.com or 515-423-5146 and follow him on Twitter @chris_higgins_.

Phillip Sitter covers suburban growth and development for the Des Moines Register. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com. He is on Twitter @pslifeisabeauty.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines metro schools welcome back students on a hot first day