Uvalde breaks ground on a new elementary school

The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District broke ground Saturday for a new school to replace Robb Elementary, the site of a deadly shooting that took the lives of 19 students and two teachers in May 2022.

Family and friends of the victims, survivors and supporters gathered for a ceremonial groundbreaking at the new site, where a 21-second moment of silence was held in honor of the lives lost in one of the deadliest mass shootings in American history.

Key supporters and those who raised funds for the Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation spoke at a short ceremony, including former Texas Sen. Beverly Powell and Winell Herron, H-E-B’s vice president of public affairs, environmental affairs, and diversity & inclusion.

After a blessing of the grounds, two Uvalde elementary school students and the father of victim Tess Mata joined 10 others in putting on hard hats to break the first shovelfuls of ground that will become the new school.

“Our Uvalde community will show the world how the events of May 24, 2022 have not and will not define our community, but will instead demonstrate the resilience of our community and our ability to move forward together,” said Luis Fernandez, Uvalde CISD president.

The new school is located near Leona and Fourth streets adjacent to Dalton Elementary School, allowing both campuses to access common spaces like the gymnasium, library and playground.

The design of the two-story school includes a tree near the entrance to remember the victims of the shooting. The sculpture will include two large branches to represent teachers Irma Garcia and Eva Mireles and 19 smaller branches for the fourth-graders who were killed, the Uvalde Leader-News reported.

The Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation said students, teachers, community members, researchers and specialists have all been involved in conversations about the new school and came up with three driving forces of the design process: focusing on brain research, prioritizing emergency management and offering trauma-informed care.

Photos by Sam Owens/Staff photographer Berlinda Arreola, from left, Dora Mendoza, Javier and Gloria Cazares, Ana Rodriguez and Veronica and Jerry Mata attend Saturday’s groundbreaking for the new Uvalde elementary school.

Jerry Mata, left, hugs UCISD school board member JJ Suarez. Mata lost his 10-year-old daughter, Tess, in the shooting.