In the News...

Sargent Unveils New School Building

Monday, August 16 2010

The Pueblo Chieftain
By: Matt Hildner
August 14th, 2010

RIO GRANDE COUNTY — A state program designed to replace old school buildings in small and underfunded school districts bore its first fruit in the San Luis Valley Thursday.

The Sargent School District threw open the doors of a new high school and junior high, giving students, staff and community members a glimpse of the 63,000-square foot building that will open with the start of classes at the end of  the month.

  "It's a great day to be a Farmer," school board President Will Hathaway told the gathering of hundreds of people.

The new  building, located between the potato and barley fields that provide a living for many of the district's families, came partly from a $5 million bond issue approved by voters in 2008.

The remaining $17.6 million came from a state program — Building Excellent Schools Today — that puts grazing and mineral lease revenues from the School Land Trust Fund toward school construction.

Sargent, along with districts in Alamosa, Mosca and San Luis, all saw its voters pass  bond measures and were first in line to apply for matching aid in 2008, before the state had completed an inventory of its school buildings.

"We knew what the health and safety risks were. We knew (valley schools) would be at the top of the list," said state Sen. Gail Schwartz, D-Snowmass Village, who co-sponsored the legislation creating the program. "We didn't need an inventory to tell us that."

All told, those four districts garnered $87 million to put against local matches for new buildings.

School districts in Center, Florence, Holly, Monte Vista and Salida are in the running to get BEST funds for new buildings this year.

The program allowed Sargent's students to escape a building built in 1921 that had a leaky roof, crumbling ceilings and a poorly ventilated chemistry lab.

Social studies teacher Sarah Ramirez recalled regulating the heat in her room in the winter by opening windows.

"Our old building really was falling down around us," she said.

Kacey Zinn, who'll be a junior at the school, giddily handed out maps to visitors.

"I'm excited not to go into a school where I'm afraid of the roof coming down on the lockers," she said. "It's really refreshing coming into a school and being the first one."

The district's elementary school, which is under renovation, is set to open Sept. 7.

The new red brick high school, with its carved stone detailing, parapet entryway and historic photo collages, paid homage to the elementary school and the old high school.

In addition to two stories of classrooms, the new building features a cafeteria, auditorium and gymnasium.

Heather Haefeli, a 1989 Sargent graduate whose three daughters attend school in the district, was snapping photos of one of the collages in the cafeteria.

"It gives you chills," she said. "It's really great to see my girls have this opportunity for their education."