After years in the works, Desert Star Community School of Cornville held a ribbon-cutting for its expanded campus on Thursday, May 15, which was attended by Yavapai County District Supervisors Dee Jenkins [R-District 2]and Nikki Check [District 3], with Yavapai County School Superintendent Steve King [R] cutting the ribbon. The expansion of the Waldorf-inspired charter school added a new administration and student support building, a new stand-alone classroom and a new entryway that will enhance security for the school, according to a press release.
School board vice president Jennifer Young said that the delays in construction, which had originally been planned in 2018, had been a result of the COVID-19 pandemic response and an unstable labor market. Haley Construction completed the expansion. School Administrative Director Cheryl LeBlanc said that the new facilities cost an estimated $2 million and that staff are discussing other ideas for the future of the school. She also said the expansion was like a dream come true. “We plan to bring our kindergarten class down to the main campus and replace some of the classrooms that we have here,” LeBlanc said, but added that no estimates or planning for such a project have been done.
Parent Caroline Hauser said she couldn’t have been more excited, adding that the expansion would make Desert Star seem more like a regular public school. She said that she appreciated the support the community has given to the charter school, which she especially likes because of its use of the Waldorf model. “In Germany it’s free and accessible to everybody, so having a charter school with Waldorf is amazing because I want as many children as possible to have this education and for them to be here. I wish more kids from the county would come here,” Hauser said. After the ceremony, students participated in a scavenger hunt and won toy balls.
