Yuma County community members got a first look at Somerton’s long-awaited high school Wednesday morning. The school is set to open Aug. 3 with about 350 first-year students.
Principal Lucky Arvizo said everyone is getting ready for the big day.
“There’s a lot of excitement," said Arvizo, who was previously the principal at San Luis High School. "It’s a total team effort to make the dream of Somerton High School a reality.”
Somerton High School is the seventh school in the Yuma Union High School District. Superintendent Tim Brienza, himself a Somerton resident, said there are currently about 20 school buses that take Somerton students to and from Kofa High School in Yuma. Somerton students have also previously attended Cibola High School.
SHS students like incoming freshman Aki Felix say they will be able to take pride in the Somerton High campus.
“It’s a very cool high school," he said. "There are nice areas for learning and features for students.”
Registration for Somerton High will take place July 28 with an open house for parents and students on Aug. 1, Arvizo said.
Among the programs school and district officials and families say they are looking forward to are Career and Technical Education or CTE programs and Toros Athletics. The sports available include wrestling- which has seen Somerton students go on to compete at the collegiate level- football, volleyball, cross country, golf, swimming and spiritline.
A new class of students will be added every year until grades 9-12 are on campus in the fall of 2026.
Wednesday's ribbon cutting was attended by Somerton parents and students as well as current and former district officials, elected officials from Somerton, San Luis and Yuma County, Cocopah Indian Tribe community leaders, Arizona Western College staff and representatives of McCarthy Construction.
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Stay tuned to KAWC to hear from a Somerton High School student and the principal.
