On Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025, Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD) hosted the groundbreaking ceremony on the Redwood girls’ softball field to celebrate the commencement of Redwood’s Fine Arts, Student Commons and Dining (FASCD) building project.
This $73.1 million building replacement project will start with Phase One (of two phases), which will replace the aging portable classrooms with new fine arts and music buildings. The project is intended to support the music and ceramics programs by expanding instructors, workspaces and curriculum.
Saum Zargar, one of Redwood’s three assistant principals, has served as a liaison between the district office and the school throughout the planning process.
“As a school administrator, I feel very good and appreciative [towards] the [FASCD project]. We are a great school [with] great programs, so to be able to have buildings and infrastructure that support our students for generations to come is a cool thing,” Zargar said.
Phase Two of the FASCD building project will include a multi-purpose eating area that will be built on campus near the existing music and ceramics rooms. It is not a cafeteria, but an open space where students and the community can gather to eat, socialize and collaborate.
Courtney Goode, TUHSD Superintendent, has just started in office this past summer, and is excited about the upcoming project and the potential it has.
“Education is about creating a sense of hope and opportunity in the lives of kids, so if being involved in the arts, ceramics, or whatever it is helps kids see their next step and fills them with hope for their future endeavors, then this has all been very well worth it,” Goode said.
In addition to upgrading the campus, this project also aims to foster community and connect students and teachers to the outdoors by including an outdoor courtyard for performers and students to display work.
“[Community] is a big thing. That was one of the criteria that was used or thought about in designing all these buildings. Not only are they an opportunity for students to learn, but also to gather and build community,” Zargar said.
Zargar also stated that the district has tried to get feedback from the community on their priorities for this space, allowing this project to be a joint work. Not only the district, but students, families and staff got the chance to put in their input on the colors for the spaces, finishes for the floors, ceilings and walls.
The groundbreaking ceremony signified the transition from the planning stage to the building of the project. It represented all of the hard work that went into the designing and funding of this project.
Goode said that the FASCD project will be in use by August of 2027, but walls will begin to appear much sooner.
