Buses and cars dropped students off at the new Montezuma-Cortez High School without much fanfare on Wednesday, as assistant principal Chris Kelley and Ute Mountain Ute education counselor Alicia Whitehead greeted students with handshakes and hugs as they started the 2015-2016 school year.
“The students seemed split,” said Whitehead. “Some were nervous, but others were excited.”
Outside, the weather was dreary, but inside, it was bright as students fluttered about the 152,000-square-foot building.
While some students had trouble finding their classrooms in the new school, others used time during their lunch period to explore.
“We’re just going to check out the new gym,” a group of girls informed Principal Jason Wayman as they passed him in the hall.
“You can see how many kids are just taking walking field trips and checking things out,” Wayman said. “There’s a lot of excitement about the new school.”
The $41.1 million, earth-friendly and state-of-the-art school offers plenty of features worth examining. The building’s 34 classrooms are wired with stand-alone Wi-Fi capabilities and feature lesson capture software by FrontRow. Designed to help teachers deliver education more effectively and efficiently, the technology enables classroom lectures to be recorded and later downloading via a computer or smartphone.
But Wayman said, they are still adding finishing touches.
“We’re getting posters and some artwork so we can put some more school spirit into it, so it’s not just all white walls,” he said.
The school is also waiting on parts to set up the lesson capturing systems in each classroom, furniture for the courtyard and equipment for the weight room.
But for the most part, the school is complete and ready for the year.
For now, Wayman and the staff are simply working out the kinks – like learning to program key card doors and utilize the intercom system.
“It’s an incredible facility,” said Wayman.
Combining land acquisition, architectural designs, inspection fees and construction costs, the project totaled almost $41.4 million. A $22.2 million Colorado Department of Education BEST grant and an $18.9 million local 20-year bond measure funded the development.
tbaker@cortezjournal.com
