Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Students of The Crest Academy began school this morning, Monday, August 16, 2021 in their new location at 627 Oak Street. They will join the Salida School District’s administrative team who moved into the front portion of the building in July.

The building was renovated over the summer and will now provide a permanent home for the Crest community. New Alternative Principal Kristie Servis joined the district over the summer and will serve as principal for both The Crest Academy and Horizons Exploratory Academy.

Teachers arrived ahead of the students and spent the past week hard at work getting their new classrooms set up and ready for the arrival of students. Parents and students also came to the school to help lend a hand to help prepare the school for opening on Monday.

Courtesy image.

Community members should be aware that The Crest Academy school building is on Oak Street/Highway 291, previously the Don’t Go Nuts building. Traffic and activity will pick up around the building with the opening of school next week.

The Salida School District is working with CDOT for long-term signage and crosswalks for students. While CDOT observes traffic patterns to determine best placement for those signs, Crest will be coordinating crossing guards to help students safely cross the street and will place temporary signs indicating the new school zone.

Anyone interested in volunteering to help as a crossing guard should call the school at 719-539-2977. Drivers are asked to slow down to keep children safe.

The Crest Academy is a small, non-traditional public option of the Salida School District, designed to meet the unique needs of middle school students. The Crest team creates an experience designed for students to harness natural curiosity, explore personal interests, and creates a safe place to become a thriving teen.

School officials say that the renovation of the building at 627 Oak Street as the new site for The Crest Academy vastly improves the programming space for those students and supports the district’s financial needs.