One cool school

One cool school

Glacier High opened Saturday, the first AA school to do so in Montana since 1986

By Kristi Albertson

Saturday was a monumental day for Kalispell School District. After more than two years of planning, building and budgeting, Glacier High School officially opened - the first AA high school to open in Montana since 1986.

District officials, administrators and trustees couldn't help grinning throughout Saturday's dedication ceremony, proud that the day finally had arrived and grateful to the community that had allowed them to build the $37.4 million school.

"The dream has indeed become reality," Superintendent Darlene Schottle said. "You've heard the saying, 'It takes a village to raise a child.' It takes a community to build a school. And I thank you."

More than 200 people attended the ceremony, which included a ribbon-cutting, the introduction of the unnamed Wolfpack mascot, and a Blackfeet blessing by Browning resident Robert Rides at the Door.

Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., delivered the dedication speech. He congratulated the Kalispell community for creating a school "like nothing [he'd] ever seen."

"Nothing of consequence ever happens unless there's cooperation, unless there's teamwork," he said.

That's exactly what happened in Kalispell to create Glacier High, he said.

He praised School District 5 for its innovative new building and the new curriculum that will be instituted this fall. The curriculum will include career clusters, classes that will allow students to learn skills directly applicable in real-world jobs.

These will put Glacier High School on the cutting edge of education, not just in Montana but in the country, Baucus said.

"Congratulations to all of you," he said. "This is really slick. This is something."

Barbara Thomas, a former educator who toured the school Saturday, agreed.

"It's so lovely and well-planned," she said. "I can't believe how beautiful it is, how functional it is."

Brooke Engebretson and Becca Hedstrom, upcoming freshmen and members of the marching band, appreciated the beauty but weren't sure how functional the school will be.

"I think it's really nice," Engebretson said. "Like, almost too nice."

Hedstrom nodded. "It's unbelievable."

Both were apprehensive about the school's layout. Most freshmen classes will take place in pods, classrooms grouped around a common space. They'll only need to leave the pod for lunch and electives; all their core classes will take place within the pod.

"It's going to be OK," Engebretson said. "But I would like to walk around and see friends who are older than me."

Even with their doubts, both girls said they were excited for school to begin Sept. 4. Callie Langohr, Glacier's first principal, is gearing up for that day.

"It feels great to put on the educator's hat instead of the hard hat," she said. "We've waited a year and a half for this."

Officials anticipate about 875 freshmen, sophomores and juniors this fall; next year, Glacier High School will have its first senior class.

Many who have been part of the project since the beginning said Saturday's ceremony gave them a taste of what the building will be like when students arrive next month.

"I'm ecstatic," said Corey Johnson, project architect with CTA Architects. "Especially seeing the building used like this, with the pep band playing and people in the commons … listening to the first performance in the performance hall.

"It was awesome."

It has taken years to get to this point. Work officially began in 2004, after voters approved a bond to build a new high school, as well as expand Flathead High and Kalispell Middle School.

By that time, however, district officials and the public had been discussing building a new high school for a number of years. Harry Amend, now superintendent of Coeur d'Alene School District, was superintendent in Kalispell when those discussions began in 2000.

At least 7,000 community members participated, he said. At that time, the district didn't know whether it should build one large new school for all of Kalispell's high-school students or split students into two schools.

"I think the right answer is obvious today," Amend said. "To be able to come back and see the final product - it's a tribute to the people of Kalispell who caught that vision."

Tom Briney was the school board chairman during Amend's tenure as superintendent. Saturday was the first time he'd been inside Glacier High.

"It's awesome to see what these people have done," he said. "It's really been a cooperative effort, like everybody's saying."

Even with that community effort, Amend believes Langohr has been instrumental to the project's success.

"My opinion is that Callie Langohr is one of the top high-school principals in the United States," he said. "She has a combination of integrity and determination and intelligence. The people who work for her are very inspired by her. …

"She's a uniquely gifted teacher."

There is no better person to be Glacier High School's first principal, he added.

"It really gives me a tremendous amount of hope," he said.

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