ARLINGTON – They are taken for granted at most schools – a staff bathroom, a library, a bell schedule and an intercom system.
For teachers and students at Weston High School, which for 20 years had none of those things, the move to a new campus will take some adjustment.
Kevin Nortz / The Herald
“It will take a little time,” said Maurene Stanton, Weston’s principal.
The biggest difference is space.
Weston and the 3-year-old Arlington Freshmen Academy had about 17,000 square feet total in their two separate buildings. Now, they share about 33,000 square feet on a tree-lined campus that is lighter and brighter than the old ones.
Weston, with 123 students, and the freshmen academy, with 45 students, made the move during winter break last week to the building once occupied by B/E Aerospace Inc.’s Flight Structures Group.
Students were a bit overwhelmed Monday when they attended classes on the new campus for the first time.
“I was lost,” acknowledged Blain Winters, 16, a junior. “I had no clue where to go. I walked in here and I said, ‘Holy cow!’
“I think it’s a pretty good investment,” he added.
Patrick Johnson, a 17-year-old senior, will graduate in a month, but found himself feeling like the new kid on campus Monday.
“It’s huge,” he said. “It’s kind of like we are freshmen all over again.”
Stephanie Martin, 18, a junior, likes the larger and newer day care, where she takes her 2-year-old son, Jesse.
“It took me like 15 minutes to find the day care,” she said. “I walked in circles three times.”
For art teacher Persis Gayle, who has spent 15 years at Weston, just having a single room to teach in is a blessing.
“It’s the same square footage, but it’s in one room instead of three,” Gayle said. “There’s real heat and a window.”
“It’s a square instead of a shoebox,” said Alison Douglas, a business and technology teacher, comparing the dimensions of her new classroom with her former one.
Gone is the roar of semitrucks at a four-way stop in front of the old Weston campus in the industrial park on the Arlington airport grounds, drowning out discussions in some classrooms.
The new campus, purchased in 2004 for $1.3 million, is at 4407 172nd St. NE, next to the Stillaguamish Athletic Club. The money was generated from timber cut on state forestlands within the Arlington district and is not related to the $54 million bond measure voters approved in 2000.
Another $1.5 million from a no-interest federal loan paid for the remodeling work.
Linda Byrnes, the Arlington School District superintendent, said it is nice to provide alternative high school students an improved learning environment.
Arlington High School students moved into a new campus two years ago.
“Obviously, the equity issue is something you really consider,” Byrnes said.
The superintendent said it took some initial convincing of Weston staff that a move out of their close quarters would be in the school’s best interest.
“They were nervous they would lose the heart, because the school has such an incredible heart,” Byrnes said.
Douglas said she “choked up” on the last day at the old campus of cramped portables, but looks forward to guiding students in the new one.
Stanton likes the idea of finally having an intercom.
“We can even do the flag salute together,” she said.
Weston opened in 1986 as Arlington Alternative School for students who dropped out and had no other options within the district. The freshman academy opened three years ago to help students who might struggle in high school.
English teacher Renee McArt believes the relationships between students and staff can prosper in the new building.
“It’s so much more inviting to walk into my room now,” she said. “I think the kids will like it even more.”
Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or stevick@heraldnet.com.
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