CITY OF INDUSTRY, CA – Hacienda La Puente Unified School District proudly unveiled the newly constructed Wedgeworth Elementary School with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 3, which featured performances by the Glen A. Wilson High School band and brought together city officials and their representatives, current and former board members, students, teachers, staff, and families to commemorate the grand opening.

“Our programs thrive year after year, and now we have the perfect space to keep growing,” said Julianne Cha, who started at Wedgeworth as a kindergarten student during the pandemic and was recently promoted from the fifth grade. “Thank you to everyone who made this new school a reality. You built more than a school – you built a legacy.”

The recently designated California Distinguished School features 30 classrooms spread across its 53,342-square-foot, two-story campus, equipped with smart technology, energy-efficient designs, an indoor/outdoor multi-purpose room, and a kitchen – an amenity previously unavailable on the former portable campus. Additionally, a stormwater collection basin beneath the ball field has the capacity to capture an estimated 1.5 million gallons of water, reducing runoff to the ocean.

“Today we are not just opening a school, we are opening endless possibilities to a future filled with promise, hopes, and dreams,” Wedgeworth Principal Paulina Cho said. “Thank you for being a part of this historic moment. May Wedgeworth be a place of inspiration, growth, and pride for generations to come.”

Thanks to Certificate of Participation (COP) funds, the transformation began in June 2020 when the District Board of Education approved the construction project, aiming to replace outdated portable classrooms with modern, high-quality learning environments. With the assistance of Balfour Beatty, the Division of State Architects, and PBK Architects, the groundbreaking took place in February 2022, with the new campus completed in time for fifth graders to experience the campus before being promoted to middle school.

Jeremy Cogan, who attended Wedgeworth from kindergarten in the late 1980s through fifth grade, expressed his appreciation for the new facility. He said his parents moved to the area in the 1960s, and his older brothers attended Wedgeworth in the 70s and 80s.

“It’s really incredible to finally see it done, after all these years of different people dreaming about it,” Cogan said. “It’s not just about transforming the school – it’s transforming the community.”

Wedgeworth Elementary is renowned for its innovative Mandarin and Computer Science dual immersion programs and has consistently excelled in competitions such as science olympiad, speech and debate, robotics, and conga dance program. The new facilities will support up to 750 students from kindergarten through fifth grade, providing them with the tools and environment to continue their academic success.

“The ribbon-cutting ceremony was a meaningful opportunity to showcase the impact of our collective investment in students, not just for today, but for generations to come,” Hacienda La Puente Unified Superintendent Dr. Alfonso Jiménez said. “This is a remarkable example of our community uniting to provide a much-needed resource and fulfill promises made long ago.”

PHOTO CAPTIONS

WEDGEWORTHRIBBONCUTTING1: Hacienda La Puente Unified School District proudly unveiled the newly constructed Wedgeworth Elementary School with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 3.

WEDGEWORTHRIBBONCUTTING2: Wedgeworth Elementary School Principal Paulina Cho (top, center) joins her students in celebrating the opening of their new school.