A Significant Safety and Security Improvement is Made at Orion Alternative School Thanks to Measure T

Visitors who walk onto the Orion Alternative School campus for the first time will immediately know where to go—to the school’s front office where smiling office staff will welcome them. 

Orion Alternative’s front office is now visible from the street and drop off area rather than tucked into the school’s center; it is the very first point of entry at 555 Avenue del Ora in Redwood City. 

“We are all very happy to now have the school’s front office where it belongs--in front of the school,” Redwood City School District (RCSD) Superintendent Dr. John Baker told a crowd in front of the school. 

Orion Alternative parents, neighbors and friends, current and former School Board Trustees joined Dr. Baker during the school’s official ribbon cutting ceremony, which celebrated the completion of the Measure T Modernization and New Construction Project.

On November 3, 2015, local voters approved Measure T, a bond measure to fund facility improvements throughout RCSD. It has helped the district complete required repairs and upgrades to its facilities as most RCSD sites are 50 years old and three are more than 80 years old. The Facilities Master Plan, developed during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years, helped identify several priorities to update and repair.

At Orion Alternative, community feedback identified the importance of moving the school’s front office, which used to sit in the middle of the school campus. Visitors needed to walk onto the school and look for the front office in order to check in.

Fast forward to 2022 and the front office is now part of a new and modern two-story building right on Avenue del Ora. 

“Let me tell you …. this is not just any new modern building, it is also a significant safety and security improvement, especially for this campus,” said Dr. Baker referring to how the new office contributes to the process of checking in school visitors during the school day. 

The Orion Alternative campus upgrade is part of several projects in Phase I of the school district’s Bond Program, which is modernizing and improving all schools across the school district. 

Features of the Orion Alternative Modernization and New Construction Project Under Phase I Include:

New Two-Story Classroom Building 
New Amphitheater
New TK/Kinder Play Structures
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Upgrades
Security Upgrades (Cameras, Security Intrusion Detection System, Door Locks, Fencing and Gates)
New Lunch Shelter and Picnic Tables
New Site Electrical Service
Technology and Network Upgrades
New Kitchen Walk-In Cooler

Student representatives from both Orion Alternative programs, the Mandarin Immersion Program and the Parent Cooperative Program, helped Dr. Baker and Principal Katherine Rivera cut the ribbon in celebration of the improvements to their school. 

Learn more about the modernization and new construction project at Orion Alternative.