On Tuesday, Valley Ranch Elementary School turned 20 years old. To celebrate, the school held a community wide event, welcoming parents, current and past students, faculty and other community members to celebrate the occasion.

“It’s amazing to me, my husband was talking about when we got our house here, that we’ve been here just about as long as the school has been,” said Cynthia Page, Valley Ranch resident and mother of two VRE students. “I love this school I think it’s cool to see the whole community here all together and enjoying.”

The event included an assortment of activities. Outside, children were seen playing in the obstacle course and bounce house inflatables. The food trucks Ruthie’s Rolling Cafe and Tutta’s provided an assortment of items for people to enjoy throughout the evening.

Children were seen posing in the photo booth with various hats, scarves and other props to choose from. Volunteers handed out cupcakes and slices of cake that corresponded with the school colors: white, green and yellow.

“Valley Ranch, as far as I’m concerned, is the best school ever,” VRE special education teacher Cathy Brose said. “We’re still updating and modernizing, every year there’s changes and 20 just means we’re going strong.”

At 7:15 p.m., a program commenced in the gym. Speakers ranging from VRE’s first assistant principal Cathy Smith to CISD Superintendent Dr. Mike Waldrip, gave a few words about VRE and its accomplishments over the years.

Students as far back as VRE’s first class of 1996 made an appearance, with one in particular, Haley Martin, coming up to speak about the impact that VRE has had on her life.

Martin, now an elementary school teacher herself, came back to VRE with all of her elementary school teachers in mind whose impact continues to inspire her today in her own classroom. She remembers the power education and that “learning makes [people] shine.”

The mixture of past and present faculty and students provided a diverse atmosphere allowing people to reconnect or meet one another for the very first time. Throughout the night, many community members were seen embracing with a former teacher or friend and being reminded of the positive impact that VRE carries with a student throughout their lives.

“I’m excited to see what our students have done over the years and where they are today [because] they’re all very successful and doing a great job in society,” VRE Principal Cynthia Arterbery said. “[VRE] is such a great community with great parents and students. They’re always so supportive and they really instill that you should always strive to learn and do your best.”

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