New high school
officially launched
Leaders, Hailey
residents dig in at groundbreaking
"Our
focus must be on the greatest resource we have—our children. Their
education is the most important thing we can pass on."
- Jim
Lewis, Superintendent
of Blaine County School District
By DANA
DUGAN
Express Staff Writer
The new
Wood River High School was officially declared a construction site
Saturday as various townspeople of note gathered for a festive
groundbreaking ceremony. The ceremony took place under sunny skies at the
south end of the WRHS football field, known as Homer Field.
The field
hosted its last home game of the year Friday night. This year’s seniors
celebrated the field’s demise by camping out on it afterward.
Then on
Saturday morning, the high school band, the Blaine County School Board
members, Hailey Mayor Brad Siemer and Idaho Superintendent of Schools
Marilyn Howard came together to usher in the next two years of
construction.
Jim Lewis,
Superintendent of Blaine County School District, gave a welcoming speech
before turning the microphone over to Howard. Both stressed the commitment
of the county and the town to the education of the valley’s children.
"This
facility will provide recreation and education for every member of the
community," Lewis said. The entire campus will include not only
facilities for the high school, but classrooms for Blaine County
Recreation District, Blaine County Academies, and College of Southern
Idaho, which will be offering classes to senior citizens.
"Our
focus must be on the greatest resource we have—our children. Their
education is the most important thing we can pass on," Lewis said.
Construction of the new 180,000-square foot school is scheduled to be
begin next spring, and it is scheduled to be open for the 2003 school
year.
The new
building’s capacity will be 1,100 students. Lewis said earlier he
expects the school’s enrollment to stabilize for about five years, after
which new classrooms can be added as needed.
Lewis added
a special thanks to the whole community for having the courage and
foresight to approve the school levy, which is enabling the district to
build the new facility. The levy was passed on May 2, 2000 for $37.7
million.
He also
spoke about the global world we live in and the need to persevere over the
long haul as the Wood River Valley grows.
Lewis, in
an amusing aside, said Homer Field—which is named for the retired school
superintendent, and has a memorial Homer Field rock—will be re-erected
in a new spot in two years. In the meantime he said, "I told Mr.
Homer that we would not deliver the rock to his front yard. He said, ‘Thank
you.’ "
Howard said
she was flattered to be included in the ceremony and offered a
"sincere thank you." In mentioning the Sept. 11 disasters on the
East Coast and the care given children by their teachers, she said that
the groundbreaking was an equally important message to our children:
"You are valued."
Also noting
the presence of many construction workers, and a large backhoe just next
to the ceremony podium, Howard said, "Unlike some groundbreaking
ceremonies, this one is the real deal."
Howard, a
former teacher, remarked that having worked in schools where roofs leaked
and children were often cold, "a good facility makes a difference.
This is a special place."
Many
students, teachers and Hailey leaders joined the school board in hardhats
and shovels to break ground just prior to a backhoe actually completing
the work.
"Wow,"
one school board member was heard to say, as the shovels hit dirt and the
band struck up a rousing theme.
"It’s
progress," said Al Lindley, the unopposed candidate for the Hailey
mayorial position.