I had the pleasure of attending the first day of school at the new Cascade View Elementary in Snoqualmie. What an amazing facility it is. The teachers were eagerly greeting their new students while workers put the finishing touches on the lunchroom and landscaping. The ability to open such a facility on time can be attributed to many things, but two come to mind: the school district and the city of Snoqualmie.

We, as taxpayers in the Snoqualmie Valley, expect our tax dollars to do great things. In the case of our new school facilities, it appears that is exactly what happened. The school district and the city of Snoqualmie, working closely together, assured that the football game last Friday and the opening of the elementary school happened without incident. You can be certain that work behind the scenes was a flurry of activity.

As I watched the first day of school unfold and the numbers of people walking and driving to the school, it reassured me that we will remain a cohesive community, despite the influx of large groups of new residents. We can stay united on issues such as providing good schools and maintaining a great place to live.

As many families that are new to the Valley release their children to the school system, they will become more involved with the community and take more of an interest in its heritage and traditions.

If you get a chance, take a drive to one of the new facilities we now have. The gym at Chief Kanim is amazing. So is the new school in Snoqualmie and the new athletic facilities at Mount Si.