Donaldson Way celebrates new multipurpose building and upgrades
American Canyon’s Donaldson Way Elementary School has undergone a facelift, thanks to Measure A2, the $25 million bond measure approved in 2022.
The school, which welcomed its first students in 1959, celebrated on March 13 the ribbon cutting for its new multipurpose building with speeches, cheers and campus tours.
The formal inauguration of the new building, known as Donaldson Way Commons, marked the near-completion of a series of school projects paid with Measure A2.
Most of the Measure A2 funds have been dedicated to Donaldson Way Elementary School, the oldest campus in American Canyon. So far, more than $10.5 million have been spent at Donaldson Way, according to the Napa Valley Unified School District’s website. Donaldson Way Commons’s groundbreaking took place in March 2025.
Some 200 students cheered as school officials, along with Mayor Pierre Washington, used a pair of large scissors to cut a red ribbon to inaugurate the multipurpose building, the biggest construction project paid with Measure A2 money.
Napa Valley Unified School District Superintendent Rosanna Mucetti praised the community and campaign committee for supporting the bond measure.
“Safe, modern learning environments are not just beautiful aesthetics,” Mucetti said. “They are fundamental to student success and staff morale.”
Donaldson Way serves more than 500 students in TK through fifth grade.
Until a few years ago, Napa Junction Magnet Elementary School was the oldest campus. That school, originally built in 1952 at Napa Junction, was damaged during the 2014 earthquake. The school moved in 2021 to a brand new campus on Eucalyptus Drive near Wetlands Edge, built with funds from another bond measure.
The other projects paid with Measure A2 funds included new playgrounds, landscaping and paving at Donaldson Way. The school’s library has reopened in a renovated space inside the former multipurpose room. The school also has a new campus-wide address system.
In addition, two new TK classrooms are nearly complete. That project was funded with developer fees, according to the school district.
Randy Candy and Jossie Benito, parents of a Donaldson Way student, moved from Oakland to American Canon 11 years ago because of the schools, they said. The community is kid friendly, Candy added.
They were on hand on March 13 to celebrate the new multipurpose building. Both welcomed the improvements at the elementary school. These were long overdue, Candy said.
“it was very dated,” Jossie Benito said.
Students now eat lunch at the new multipurpose building, which is equipped with a professional kitchen.
Donaldson Way Principal James Dennis helped lead campus tours after the ribbon cutting, shortly before a group of students arrived for lunch.
Pointing to a dozen tables under a shady canopy, he said that is where his students used to gather for lunch. The students ate lunch in the library on rainy days. Now his students can spread out and stay warm when it’s cold, Dennis said.
Dennis and a student guided the group to the renovated library, noting the new landscaping and paving.
American Canyon Middle School students and Donaldson Way alumni will paint the school mascot, Donny the Dragon, on one side of a ball wall built from cinder blocks. School materials will be painted on the other side, Dennis said.
Measure A2 bond money also paid for renovations and upgrades at American Canyon High School, American Canyon Middle School and Canyon Oaks Elementary School.
American Canyon Middle School, opened in 1998, celebrated its renovated track and field last fall. The school also received a fresh coat of paint as did American Canyon High School, which opened in 2010.
The middle school has a new public address system, and older buildings’ roofs have been replaced. New air conditioning units have been installed in classrooms and offices.
A new central courtyard with shade structures and outdoor seating was installed at Canyon Oaks, which marks its 20th anniversary this year. Most of its air-conditioning units have been replaced.
The high school’s track is expected to be resurfaced. The district is also installing a new public address system.
Kasama Lee, who led the campaign to pass Measure A2, was among the guests who toured the Donaldson Way campus.
Lee said chairing the campaign was an opportunity to give back to the schools and the community. Her two sons, who attended Donaldson Way, are now in college.
Lee had never run a bond measure campaign when Mucetti asked her to chair the Measure A2 campaign.
“What I realized was that our kids deserve a safe, robust environment,” she said, but added she has learned from her years as a real estate agent that any building can be repaired and renovated with proper funding.
The Measure A2 campaign was one of the most challenging community projects she had undertaken, Lee said. “We had four months from the beginning of the campaign to the election date. All hands had to be on deck.”
The bond measure passed in November 2022 with nearly 66 percent of the vote.
“It is something we should all be very proud of when a community comes together for the greater good,” Lee said.
