School Board Studies High School Options as part of Phase Two Facility Bond Planning for Capital Improvements

Architects Brian Fitzgerald of TCF Architecture, and Tom Bassett of Forte Architects, and David Zeitlin of Hill International presented options to alleviate overcrowding and other concerns at Wenatchee High School.

The discussion is part of Phase Two of Bond Planning, and took place at a Board Workshop on December 1^st.  The Phase 1 Bond that voters passed in February of 2014 is building a new Washington Elementary, remodeling Lincoln Elementary, modernizing portions of Pioneer, Castlerock Special Education and Early Childhood Center, and a pedestrian safety project at Mission View Elementary.

There are currently 2300 students at Wenatchee High School, with numbers expected to climb to 2500. The architects studied the current conditions at WHS, and pointed out a number of deficiencies. 

The architects presented five options to the Board, which included remodeling and adding on to the current school, creating a STEM/STEAM academy, or building a new high school.

 “The site is two-thirds the size we would look at for a high school this day in age,” said Tom Bassett. “The two-lane streets and traffic is a problem. The south parking lot has only one entrance and exit. The underlying issue is the property is just not big enough.”

The architects said most classrooms are too small, there aren’t enough classroom to allow teachers to have their own room, forcing teachers to travel and share rooms. Many classrooms aren’t designed for the use they’re getting. For example, the LGI (Large Group Instruction) room was designed with tiered-seating for lectures. It’s currently being used as a science classroom.

“The building is daylight starved,” Brian Fitzgerald told the Board. “The good news is the structural engineers say the building is structurally sound. It has good bones. They’re just not arranged the way we want them.”

Architects Tom Bassett, Brian Fitzgerald, and David Zeitlin share a number of options for alleviating overcrowding and other issues at Wenatchee High School.

“We spent two days meeting with all the WHS department heads,” Fitzgerald told the Board. “I’m really impressed and appreciate the feedback we got.”

The architects presented five options to the Board, which included remodeling and adding on to the current school, creating a STEM/STEAM academy, or building a new high school.

After listening to the architects, the Board asked Wenatchee High School Principal Eric Anderson what he thought. “If you’re asking my personal opinion, a smaller school is beneficial.”

Wenatchee Education Association President Kris Cameron agreed.

Board Vice President Jennifer Talbot suggested creating a campus just for grades eight and nine, essentially creating a junior high.  The discussion that followed included comments that the junior high configuration would relieve pressure of growing populations at elementary schools and at the high school. Middle schools would include grades five, six, and seven.

Community input will be an important part of the decision making. Community surveys will help inform the district about what community members would like to see happen.

Board member Jesus Hernandez asked to see the research on what WHS students are doing in the years after they graduate. “What are kids doing after high school, and how can we build facilities to help those kids?” asked Hernandez.

At the conclusion of the workshop the Board directed Superintendent Brian Flones to form a Facilities Committee to study all options and make a recommendation back to the board.

Community input will be an important part of the decision making. Community surveys will help inform the district about what community members would like to see happen.