|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
After two years in portable classrooms, students at Belle Haven Elementary School in Menlo Park returned from winter break on Jan. 6 to a brand new school. The Ravenswood City School District hosted a grand reopening ceremony on Monday, Jan. 5 to celebrate the completion of its $60 million campus renovation.
“‘Portable City’ is no longer,” Principal Michelle Masuda said during the ceremony.
With a balloon arch ribboned with caution tape and kids wearing plastic hard hats, the school community said goodbye to the old cafeteria in February 2024. By this time, most of the original classrooms had been demolished and students had already moved into their temporary learning spaces.
Belle Haven’s reopening marks the district’s third recent renovation project. Last January, Ravenswood welcomed Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle School students to an upgraded campus and in November, the community celebrated the reopening of Los Robles-Ronalds McNair Academy.
Over winter break, teachers were busy setting up their new classrooms as they got ready for the first day of school. Eighteen hours before students walked in, the campus was still bustling with teachers unpacking boxes, volunteers organizing the library and construction workers making final touches.
Belle Haven is the district’s first campus to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold certification, said Assistant Superintendent Will Eger. LEED is a rating system by the U.S. Green Building Council that awards buildings constructed with the highest environmental standards.
“This school is 100% electric, 100% renewably powered by the solar panels on site,” said Eger.
First-grade teacher Jennifer Brito welcomes students to her renovated classroom at Belle Haven Elementary in Menlo Park on Jan. 6, 2026. Photo by Seeger Gray. 
Students greet each other before the school day starts at Belle Haven Elementary in Menlo Park on Jan. 6, 2026. Photo by Seeger Gray. 
Fifth-grade teacher Sandra Gaona welcomes students into her renovated classroom at Belle Haven Elementary in Menlo Park on Jan. 6, 2026. Photo by Seeger Gray. 
Students walk to class at the start of the school day at Belle Haven Elementary in Menlo Park on Jan. 6, 2026. Photo by Seeger Gray.
The district was also able to reduce water usage on campus by millions of gallons by installing turf across school grounds, he added.
Almost everything is brand new. During a tour of the campus, Eger explained that every classroom has new walls, lights, roofing, sound insulation, ventilation systems and speakers. After years of sharing space with the city’s Belle Haven branch library, the school now has its own dedicated library space again. The branch library moved into the Belle Haven Community Center in 2024.
New classrooms also were intentionally designed to benefit the health and wellness of students. Eger pointed out how classrooms have larger windows that face the school’s courtyard and allow for more natural light. Studies have found that adding more green space on campus has enhanced student wellbeing and academic performance.
On the other side of classrooms, the walls are tall and windows are placed up high, shielding students’ eyes from the distraction of recess, people using the gym and friends on the playground, said Eger. The high windows also deter potential break-ins, he explained.
“This reopening celebrates a vibrant community enriched by many cultures, languages and lived experiences and a firm belief that every child deserves to learn in an environment where they are seen, valued and empowered,” said San Mateo County Supervisor Lisa Gauthier, who was among the community members, local officials and district board members at the grand opening.
The renovation was funded by Measure I, which voters passed in 2022. The bond authorized an $110 million in new bond spending to renovate the three elementary schools across the district.
“In order for our children to be able to compete in Silicon Valley, they have to have the right foundation,” said Gauthier. “Teachers are already doing the work, but they have to have the skills and the resources they need to be able to survive.”
Menlo Park City Councilmember Cecilia Taylor, a former student of Belle Haven, commended the district’s leaders in making positive change happen for the community of Menlo Park and East Palo Alto.
Superintendent Gina Sudaria recalled the first time she stepped foot onto Belle Haven’s campus when she started her teaching career in 1998. Cabinets were falling apart, she said.
“What we’re building is not only the foundation for future generations to come but we are also going to put Ravenswood on the map because of the work we’re doing on the inside and out,” Sudaria added.
Over the last few years, the district has been successful in navigating the renovation of multiple schools. In February, the $4.2 million Los Robles football field will be completed and open in time for the Super Bowl, Eger said. Costaño Elementary School is currently in its design phase with plans to begin a two-to-three year construction process at the start of the 2026-27 school year. The renovated district office is slated to be completed in September.
As Belle Haven students settle into their new classrooms, construction continues for the school’s new gym and field. Eger said district officials hope the final portion of the project will be completed by fall 2026.
With concerns about construction inflation, the district wanted to ensure that taxpayer dollars were being used efficiently, meaning there was a “huge sense of urgency,” Eger said.
“We don’t have a lot of money and so what we have to do is go as fast as we can to make sure that every dollar gets the most bang for the buck. We’ve been hustling,” he said.
Startup founder jailed in ‘wild scene’ at winery allowed to exercise $1M in stock optionsJanuary 6, 2026 10:53 am
