Activity is at a fever pitch toward making the promise of a high school in Castaic a reality for families that have waited over a decade for a new secondary school in the area.

The Hart School District has been working on construction plans and other aspects of the development following the approval of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) by the school board in October 2012. Progress is being made on many aspects of the project, including plans to name the school and retaining a company to oversee the Mitigation Monitoring Program.

“The Hart School District is committed to the good stewardship of the high school site during construction and following build out,” said Superintendent Rob Challinor.” We are dedicated to providing the citizens of Castaic with a state-of-the-art high school, while being mindful of the environmental impact to the Castaic area and our neighbors.”

The Castaic Naming Advisory Committee representatives met on March 26, 2013 and created a list of seven names to recommend the board to select the name of the school. A community survey was held in February with more than 330 entries, which was reviewed by the committee. The suggestions that will be recommended to the board are not necessarily the top vote getters, but the names that are most significant or noteworthy.

The Hart District also announced that the groundbreaking ceremony for the high school in Castaic will be Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 9 a.m., at the hybrid Romero Canyon school site. The community is welcome to attend. District and school administration will be present along with LA County Supervisor Michael Antonovich and local community leaders. Exact location and details will follow closer to the event.

A meeting for the Castaic community is scheduled for Monday, May 20, 2013 at 7 p.m. at Castaic Middle School to discuss the progress of construction and design of the high school that is scheduled to open in August 2016. At the meeting, Superintendent Challinor and COO Benjamin Rodriguez will discuss the projected building timeline and current status of the project. Other information will include a discussion of the conceptual site plan for the school, with the architects, mitigation monitoring company representative and property developer on hand, and education specifications that will meet the needs of students including academics, sports, electives and extracurricular activities. Families in the Castaic and Val Verde communities, with students currently in 6th grade or younger, are urged to attend.