LYNNWOOD — It’s not often that a school district opens two new schools in the middle of a school year.
But students and staff got to move into a brand new middle school and elementary school last week when classes resumed in the Edmonds School District.
The total cost of the two schools is $104 million. The community will get a chance to tour the new schools during evening open houses Wednesday and Thursday.
The largest of the two construction projects is Alderwood Middle School, a two-story, 100,000-square-foot building with room for up to 800 seventh- and eighth-grade students.
The school, at 1132 172nd St. SW, is designed to take advantage of the woods surrounding it, which will sometimes be used to augment classwork.
The building’s construction cost $50.5 million and the overall cost, including items such as equipment and desks, was $68 million. It replaces the former Alderwood Middle School, which opened in 1965.
Students walked into the new building with their mouths open in awe, said school Principal Brian Stewart.
“They’re walking around with a smile on their faces — that’s no exaggeration,” he said.
Lynndale Elementary School, a two-story, 68,000-square-foot building, has room for up to 510 students. The school is at 19030 72nd Ave. W. Construction cost $26.5 million and the overall cost of the project was $36 million.
The school’s property includes a natural area for wildlife and wetlands on the west side of the property. A second story enclosed deck will have a garden.
It replaces the former Lynndale Elementary School, which opened in 1956.
Students and staff moved from what had been the district’s oldest elementary school into its newest.
“It’s unbelievable it’s so nice,” Principal Chris Fulford said.
Students got to tour their new school just before winter break, he said. Many came back to lead their parents on an evening tour of the building.
Fulford said he was struck by the pride students have in their new quarters. When school started last week, students were on the lookout for spills in the lunchroom, he said.
“They don’t want it messed up,” Fulford said. If something is spilled, “they want to tell the custodian right away,” he said.
The new schools were built because both the former elementary and middle school had outlived their practical usefulness, said Debbie Joyce Jakala, a school district spokesman.
The cost of the two new schools is being paid for through a $275 million bond issue approved by voters in 2014.
The last time the school district opened two schools mid-year was during the 2001-2002 school year with the opening of Maplewood and Terrace Park schools, which then served kindergarten through eighth-grade students, Jakala said.
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486; salyer@heraldnet.com.
Open houses
Community open houses are scheduled this week for the Edmonds School District’s two newest schools.
The event at Alderwood Middle School is scheduled from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. The schools is located at 1132 172nd St. SW, in Lynnwood.
The second event, at Lynndale Elementary School, is scheduled from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday. The school is located at 19030 72nd Ave. W, in Lynnwood.
Formal dedication ceremonies are scheduled to begin at 7 both evenings.
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