Ask anyone who has attended Bell View Elementary as a student, worked there as a staff or faculty member, or volunteered there as a parent, and they’ll tell you the Home of the Mustangs is more of a family than a school. 

“The best thing about Bell View is that, no matter which group of people are there, they are just always so giving and a great family,” said one of the school’s former principals Chanci Loran. “There’s the school family that takes care of the community and the community that supports the school and becomes part of the family as well.”

The Bell View family is about to get even bigger as the school combines with neighboring Edgemont Elementary to occupy a new school building and embrace a new identity: the Glacier Hills Yetis. But before the fall 2022 start of a new school year in the new Glacier Hills building, Bell View students, staff, alumni, and community members are coming together at their beloved 56-year-old campus for a Closing Celebration and Open House.

The event is on Friday, April 29, 3:30 – 5 p.m. and will feature a self-guided tour of the building, treats, and a display of memorabilia. “We hope our friends from Edgemont join us as we look to create new memories even as we reflect with fondness on memories from years past,” said Bell View Principal Tamra Baker.

Bell View opened in 1966, the same year the term “mini-skirt” was coined, the popular sci-fi series Star Trek debuted, and Lyndon Johnson was President. Since then, it has seen plenty of fashion trends and TV series come and go, and its students have come to know the names of 10 more U.S. Presidents.

“It has changed a lot over the years,” said Christy Webb, who served as Principal at Bell View for nine years and is helping to organize the Open House. “But it will always feel like family. There’s a bunch of us from the school who still get together for dinner from time to time.”

Webb has put together a slide show of current and past staff members to showcase in the library during the Open House. There will be a t-shirt wall displaying school swag from days gone by, and the PTA will be selling commemorative t-shirts and sweatshirts.

Staff from CSD’s newest high school, Diamond Ridge High will also be on hand at the event to showcase Bell View’s future as the home of the Raptors. Diamond Ridge, a small tight-knit alternative to larger comprehensive high schools, will move into the Bell View building in July 2022 along with CSD’s adult education program, Entrada High. 

Since its inception in 2015, Diamond Ridge has become the school of choice for a growing number of students, and has needed more space than it currently occupies at the Canyons Technical Education Center. 

“We are really looking forward to being part of this community,” said the school’s Principal Amy Boettger.

“The Bell View building will be such a huge asset and allow us to do things with programming that we haven’t been able to do due to a lack of space.”

It’s been said that “once you’re a Mustang, you’re always a Mustang,” and Boettger promises that Mustang pride will always have a place at Diamond Ridge.

“To demonstrate the deep respect and gratitude we have for the Bell View community,” she said, “we are creating a ‘Mustang Award’ to recognize Diamond Ridge students who demonstrate academic achievement and citizenship excellence.”