City School Bulging, Will Expand

Thu., April 1, 1999

By Marny Lombard marnyl@spokesman.com (509) 927-2166

The West Valley City School will expand next year, moving its fifth-grade classes to Seth Woodard Elementary School.

Now in its first year, the school has 100 students enrolled and a waiting list of 75.

“We’ve created quite an interest among our patrons,” said West Valley Superintendent Dave Smith.

Plans call for three classrooms of City School fifth-graders to be housed at Seth Woodard.

For several years, Seth Woodard has housed all the West Valley fifthgraders, so there is room for them, especially if the music room or staff lounge is turned into a classroom, said Principal Pam Francis at Seth Woodard.

The change will allow the City School to enroll up to 175 full-time students.

West Valley parents of fourth-graders who are interested in learning about the school can attend evening informational meetings in a few weeks. Pasadena Park Elementary School’s meeting will be April 12. Ness Elementary’s will be April 13. Orchard Center Elementary’s will be April 15. Each meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. in each school’s library.

These meetings will also include discussion about the state tests that fourth-graders will take later this spring.

While the fifth-graders will be housed in another school, they will be a branch of the City School, said Principal Larry Bush.

“I’ll have them come over here every Friday for the market. They will be the entrepreneurs,” Bush said.

City School is an innovative middle school that combines traditional academics and fine arts with a handson learning program in which students run a city, hold jobs, and earn fake money with which they must pay taxes and other expenses.

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