Here's an early look at the new Pueblo East High School

James Bartolo, The Pueblo Chieftain
·2 min read
Pueblo School District 60 employees, East High School staff and other stakeholders cut the ribbon for the new school building on May 15, 2023.
Pueblo School District 60 employees, East High School staff and other stakeholders cut the ribbon for the new school building on May 15, 2023.

Members of the public got an early look at the new Pueblo East High School during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday.

Key features of the new school at 1521 Constitution Road include a 1,200-person capacity gymnasium fit to host state playoff basketball games, a state-of-the-art kitchen for East's culinary program and a large auditorium. Students will begin learning in the new building starting in the fall 2023 semester.

The project, including construction, demolition of the old school building and exterior site work, is a $74 million undertaking.

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East High School's new 1,200 capacity gymnasium is fit to host state playoff basketball games.
East High School's new 1,200 capacity gymnasium is fit to host state playoff basketball games.

Construction on the new East broke ground in late March 2021. With no more than a fine-tuning of minor blemishes remaining to be put on the building, hundreds of students, teachers, alumni and community members attended Monday's ceremony for the new school.

"The best part is seeing the kids, their eyes, their faces and gasps — the genuine gasps that come out of their mouths when they walk into these new spaces," East principal Andy Clementi said.

Ysabelle Rosales, a sophomore and member of the dance team at East, said she appreciates the use of East Eagle gold in the new building.

Fresh coats of gold paint can be found embellishing walls, chairs and floor tiles throughout the new school. There also are plenty of spaces, like the booths on the second floor of the school, for students to study, eat and socialize.

Construction of the new East was made possible through a $218 million bond passed by Pueblo voters in 2019. The bond financed construction of a new Pueblo Centennial High School, Nettie S. Freed K-8 Expeditionary School, Franklin School of Innovation and Sunset Park Elementary School, in addition to the new East.

The design and construction process for the school was carried out by MOA Architecture, HGF Architects Inc. and HW Houston Construction in partnership with Pueblo School District 60.

East High School students hang out in the school's new cafeteria.
East High School students hang out in the school's new cafeteria.

Additional ribbon-cutting ceremonies will be held for Centennial on May 22, Sunset Park Elementary on Aug. 10, Franklin School of Innovation on Aug. 11, and Nettie S. Freed K-8 Expeditionary on Aug. 24. The Centennial groundbreaking will be held at noon, while the others will be held at 3 p.m.

"Phase 2," of the project, which includes exterior site work like new football fields at the new East, will be "for the most part" completed by December 2023 and finalized by March 2024, according to Bob Lawson, executive director of facilities and construction management for Pueblo D60. In the meantime, outdoor athletics programs will utilize fields at Dutch Clark Stadium and nearby middle schools for games and practices.

Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@gannett.com.

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This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo East High School does ribbon cutting for new school building