The grand tour

Public gets a peek at new Glacier High School

Wow.

It's a word that was whispered more than once Saturday as hundreds of community members got their first glimpses inside Glacier High School.

Some, like Terry Atha, almost wished they could go back to high school.

"I wish I was 16 again," he said.

More than 800 people toured the nearly finished facility. Almost all were awed by the building, and despite recent complaints to the contrary, most were impressed by the way School District 5 used its taxpayer dollars.

"I think they spent the money well," Jeri Knapton said.

Knapton and her husband, Dean, expected nothing less than excellence. After reading letters in the newspaper from board members and people who worked on the project, they said they expected the building to be efficient and well-built.

"It's better than I thought," Knapton said, gazing around the commons area where students will eat lunch and congregate before and after school.

The "tremendous planning" that went into the building was obvious, Dean Knapton said.

"It's noninstitutional," he said. "It doesn't look like a state prison."

For the most part, the community agreed with the Knaptons, District 5 Trustee Keith Regier said.

"They were very positive, very pleased and felt it was quality construction," he said.

After watching construction on the school progress for more than a year, many people were ready to see the almost-finished product, he added.

"I think the community was ready for the tour," he said. "There's been a lot of curiosity about what's going on in the building."

Those who took the tour appreciated the building's design, he said.

Many classrooms are arranged in pods - a few rooms clustered around a central area, called a porch. Teachers, particularly those instructing ninth-graders in Freshman Academy, expect to do a lot of team teaching, and pods lend themselves to that instructional style.

People were also impressed by the school's biomass boiler. The boiler is expected to save a quarter of a million dollars in heating costs each year, Regier said.

The boiler is evidence of the building's efficiency, Suzy Moore said.

"For the amount of money spent, I think it far exceeds expectations," she said. "Everything is done so efficiently, from the heating to layout.

"It far exceeds what I thought it could be."

Moore's daughter, Danyelle, agreed. Currently a ninth-grader at Kalispell Junior High School, she'll be part of Glacier's first sophomore class.

"It's a little bit overwhelming," she said.

She was particularly impressed by the school's black-box theater and auditorium, which has a stage clearly visible from all 600 seats.

"It's so amazing," she said.

Her father, Keith, appreciated the building's acoustics. Even in the hallways, he said, "it will bring the noisy chatter to a low level."

Many who toured the school were such families as the Moores, with students who will attend Glacier this fall. But others were simply interested community members, Regier said.

"I was surprised at the number of elderly people that came through," he said. "That was good to see.

"I thought that pointed to the positive community feel we have in Kalispell. They take pride in their schools."

Although he has nieces and nephews who will attend Glacier next year, Willie Robbins "just came to see a brand-new high school."

"I love it," he said. "I think it's going to be a great school."

Those who weren't able to attend the tour or would like to go through again will be able to do so from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.