Riverside's Casa Blanca neighborhood revived by new elementary school

Elementary school in Riverside reopens after 50 years

A brand-new elementary in Riverside is helping revive the historic Casa Blanca neighborhood.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - A new elementary school in Riverside is breathing life into the historic Casa Blanca neighborhood, marking a significant milestone in the community's history. 

Casa Blanca Elementary School, which originally closed in 1967, has reopened with a focus on STEM education, promising to unite families and transform the neighborhood.

Commitment to STEM education

What they're saying:

The school features three STEM labs [robotics, makers, and LEGO] and three terraces focused on hands-on science learning.

"The building itself is built for that type of learning. When tasked in identifying the instructional vision with support from our board members and district leaders, we decided to make Casa Blanca Elementary School a STEM-focused school. Research will show you that in STEM careers, minorities are underrepresented, so why not start early on, as early as TK, in developing those future-ready skills," said Bernie Torres, the school's principal.

"The responsibility that I have is to ensure that  the learning is just as great or even greater than the facility itself. It's an honor and privilege. I'm in my 27th year in education and to be given the opportunity to reimagine learning for students at Casa Blanca Elementary has been the highlight of my career," he added. 

Torres said the staff is also committed to STEM learning. "I want the staff to commit to that vision that we told the community. They're excited [about] the thought of their children becoming our future scientists, engineers, mathematicians."

The backstory:

The elementary school also has a rich history. It is within the Casa Blanca neighborhood, which is one of the oldest Latino neighborhoods in California. In 1967, the original Casa Blanca Elementary school closed after the Riverside Unified School District became the first large public school district in the nation to voluntarily desegregate its schools during the Civil Rights Movement.

"Although I believe there were great intentions, unfortunately what happened was it fragmented the neighborhood, so students were sent to, at that time, seven different schools," said Torres.

For the past decade, community advocates fought for the school to be rebuilt in the neighborhood. Josh Casiano Sr. said his father-in-law was one of the main advocates behind the mission.

"This one's been a long time coming. There was a school here a while back. My father-in-law was the last one to come here before it shut down so he's been a big advocate for the school and getting it started. It's another chance to bring another level of unity to the neighborhood and something that we can all be proud of," said Josh Casiano Sr.

Casiano Sr. said he was able to watch the school come to life during the construction process.

"We live across the street, so we're at the park playing football and walking every day, so we saw the building process from the ground up, and every time we came out, it's like ‘wow, this  is looking really nice.’ It doesn't look like your typical elementary school. It's beautiful. It's clean. It's not like any other school that's been around here so this is like the next level education for these kids and it's a good opportunity for them," said Casiano Sr.

‘It’s like a movie'

Local perspective:

Casiano Sr.'s son, Xavier, attends Casa Blanca Elementary School as a sixth grade student.

"It's like new to me. It's like a movie. It's like I'm in a movie and stuff," said Xavier, who has become very involved in programs at the school."

I am in ‘Rising Leaders,’ so it's very fun helping  with little kids, kindergartners and stuff like that because I'm an upper grader. It's my last year in elementary," said Xavier. 

Xavier was nervous about switching schools, but said it has been worth it. "I was surprised. I got scared of leaving my friends, but at the end of the day, I was just happy because the school is big, so I'll make a lot of friends, and a lot of kids will want to be my friends," he said.

Dig deeper:

The school's chosen mascot is a phoenix, a bird representing resilience, rebirth and renewal, and Torres believes it's the perfect mascot for the school that is revitalizing the Casa Blanca neighborhood.

"When you research the history of the Casa Blanca neighborhood, there were moments when it wasn't too positive. If you look in the ‘70s, maybe the ’80s, there was a negative connotation to the neighborhood. We're talking 40-50 years ago and that is still lingering at times, so the city has done a great job of investing in the library, in a government building close by, and I believe that the school is truly going to change the narrative of the neighborhood," said Torres.

The elementary school currently has just over 400 students and aims to increase enrollment every year with the goal of being at full capacity in a couple of years.