Just west of Heber City and south of the North Fields, Deer Creek High School is under construction. Brick walls are built, a few classroom wings are painted and the athletic wing has a roof on it. While the concrete is poured, windows installed and tennis courts laid out, administrators are starti ng trickier discussions — boundaries for what students will attend from which zones, class sizes and educational opportunities for Deer Creek High School students. Westland Construction is the builder, and the high school’s price tag is clocking in at approximately $169 million. Everything, Shawn Kelly said, is on schedule. Kelly, the director of operations and human resources for Wasatch County School District, said the school is on track to open in August 2026 for its first school year. At a Deer Creek High School tour Tuesday, Kelly explained what’s similar to Wasatch High School. With Wasatch High as the model, Deer Creek High’s floor plan is a well-tested one that mirrors about five other schools in Utah, including Corner Canyon High School in Draper and Skyridge High School in Lehi. Principal contractor Curtis Livingston said that some changes at Deer Creek improve on both efficiency and cost. The straight and narrow design of the entry commons area, for instance, costs far less than its curved counterpart at Wasatch High School. Other improvements, he said, include designs that offer less awkward and unusable spaces. The site of the new Deer Creek High School is Wasatch County is located near the Wasatch County Fairgrounds. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park RecordSome ideas are also borrowed from other schools, like Farmington High School’s acoustic-friendly designs in music spaces. With a nod to Deer Creek’s silver and navy school colors, Kelly said that the classroom wing’s paint jobs are intentionally designed. The bottom floor’s wing is painted silvery gray. The top floor, which gets more sunlight, is a darker navy. All in all, Kelly said there’s approximately 75 teaching stations. He said that ballpark number encompasses more than just classrooms. Science labs, music rooms, lecture areas and athletic facilities are all included in that estimate. On the tour, Kelly gestured around the open space that would become a technical learning area for wood shops and metal shops.“All of the programs here are going to be the same as at Wasatch,” Kelly said. “It’s not going to be like, ‘You have to go here for metal or there for woods.’ All kids will have these opportunities at both schools.”According to Wasatch County School District Superintendent Paul Sweat, the new Deer Creek High School will create a more level playing field for students across the county. As of now, administrators like Sweat and former Wasatch High School Principal Justin Kelly agree that Wasatch High is overcrowded with nearly 2,700 students enrolled. Those in attendance for the tour on Tuesday look out what will be a large window in a stairwell leading to the second floor. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park Record“I was principal for Wasatch High School when it opened in ’09 with 1,350 students. That was a really nice number of students for that building, and it had room to grow,” Sweat said. “Right now we’re in a situation that’s less than ideal for a conducive learning environment.”Deer Creek High School, he said, will give students and teachers space to spread out and reduce class sizes.“It means equality for all of our high schools,” Sweat said. “We’re excited about having space and opportunities for our kids, and then when you throw in M-Tech next door to it, it’s going to be an amazing campus.” Sweat’s referring to Mountainland Technical College, which is expanding with a location in Heber Valley, immediately next to the new high school. The technical college, Sweat said, is an advantageous neighbor for all parties. Deer Creek High and other students in the valley will have the opportunity to acquire stackable credentials and go into their freshman year of higher education ahead of schedule. According to the Wasatch County School District 2024 student profile, about 50% of students in the 2023 graduating class planned on attending a four-year university while 14% planned to attend trade or technical school and 5% would attend a two-year college. A total of 16% were anticipating directly entering the workforce. Kelly and Sweat both said the Career and Technical Education (CTE) opportunities at Deer Creek are a priority. But, there’s plenty of room for arts and sciences. At the end of the tour, Kelly pointed out the wetlands north of the school campus. School board members and administrators check out the auxiliary gym that is being built on the campus of Deer Creek High School. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park Record“There’s Osprey hatching grounds,” Kelly said. “And we’re going to have arborists come in to plant native tree species.”The space for nature studies immediately next to the school is a bonus, Kelly said. Students at Deer Creek, with the River Hawks as a mascot, will be able to study native plant species and animals, like the Osprey — coincidentally known as River Hawks. Also in the mix are facilities for “all 27 sanctioned sports,” according to Kelly. Baseball, football, soccer fields and the like will be built along with volleyball and basketball courts and space for a Wasatch High favorite — wrestling. And, while the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a foothold in the school plan with a seminary included and paid for by the church, interested students will also have the opportunity to walk across campus to the neighboring non-denominational MVF Church.The future campus of Deer Creek High School will feature outdoor classrooms, athletic facilities and other amenities. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park RecordWhat students will attend Deer Creek High is still up for discussion, said Eric Campbell, the director of student services. Campbell said that he will debate zoning and boundaries along with a small committee and the school board, but not without input from parents. “We’ll get the feedback from parents, and we’ll have an opportunity to do that face-to-face,” Campbell said, adding that the multiple-month process is not as straightforward as splitting up school zones. “There’s a lot of different things going into that process.”No matter which students attend, newly appointed Deer Creek High School Principal Justin Kelly said that he is excited to start building something new from the ground up.“There’s going to be some challenges,” he said. “But I think it’s going to be great, and I’m excited to start building new traditions.”The post Inside the new Deer Creek High School appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less