Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD) is laying the foundation for future STEM/STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) leaders at Aliso Niguel High School by constructing a brand new, two-story building in front of the 100s classrooms, where the grassy patch used to be. The plans have been drawn up and the groundwork has been finalized; the construction is scheduled to begin by October 2020, and is projected to be completed by July 2021. 

  Aliso Niguel High School (ANHS) began the project in partnership with the City of Aliso Viejo. It was made possible thanks to the remainder of Community Facilities District No. 87-1’s (CFD 87-1) funds. CFD 87-1 was CUSD’s oldest and largest Mello-Roos tax (1987–2016) that helped to rapidly improve 12 of CUSD’s schools and facilities.

  The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects “jobs in STEM fields to expand faster than non-STEM jobs, growing to more than nine million by 2022.” 

  The creation of the new building will aid in opening up new STEM opportunities and hopefully inspire career paths for high school students. 

  Capistrano Unified’s STEM Mission Statement states that “CUSD has an unwavering commitment to engaging all students in meaningful learning experiences in order to develop STEM-literate students who thrive in a constantly changing global community.”

  The director of TELACU Construction Management, Daniel Clem, who is overseeing the project said, “During the design process, the district and architect met with teachers to go over what they were looking for to outfit their spaces and ensure that the classrooms would stoke collaboration and engagement.”

  There will be four new science classrooms and two new physics classrooms, built with extensive space to perform indoor experiments. The classrooms will be about 400 square feet larger than traditional classrooms. 

  Mr. Robert Jansen, a physics teacher, said there will be “lab prep rooms between every two science classrooms. Equipment and chemicals can be stored in these teacher workspaces and can be shared by these classrooms. This will keep the student space in each classroom uncluttered, and makes sharing resources easier.”

  Additionally, all the classrooms in the building will be outfitted with the newest projectors and smartboards and equipped with enough Wi-Fi bandwidth to support three devices per student and teacher. 

  Despite the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, the construction is continuing as planned.