Rogers readies for renovation

The rain couldn’t keep Bess Carlson from her front row seat in the parking lot at John R. Rogers High School.

Carlson, 87, wasn’t going to miss the groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday for the planned renovation of her alma mater because of weather.

“This means everything in the world,” said Carlson, who graduated from Rogers in 1936. “We are so proud; it’s long overdue.”

Her sentiment was echoed throughout a crowd of students, staff, alumni and Spokane Public Schools administrators gathered to celebrate the $60 million remodeling project.

Demolition of some parts of the school is set to begin Monday.

“It’s going to be a great place for new opportunities, and hopefully it will boost morale,” said Lindsey Anderson, 17, student body president. “It’s going to make that pirate pride even stronger.”

When students return in the fall, construction will be under way, first with the addition of 165,000 square feet of space, including the replacement of the Pittsburg Street annex, new classrooms, a new cafeteria, field house, new safety and security systems and a larger gym.

The renovation of the original school building, built in 1932, will begin in the fall of 2007. That building will be added to the National Register of Historic Places.

“It will really reflect the community and will continue to be a beacon to Hillyard,” said John Dixon, president of the school’s alumni association.

Dixon was among hundreds of people who put a “fingerprint” on the design of the modernization, providing input on what the school should look like. The project will be funded with proceeds from the 2003 voter-approved facilities improvement bond.

“We are moving into a whole new era for Rogers High School,” said Principal Carole Meyer. “This is just the boost we needed.”

The school has long suffered from an image problem, largely because of its location in a working-class northeast Spokane neighborhood. Nearly 70 percent of Rogers students qualify for free- and reduced-price lunches.

“Everyone is always dissing on us because we’re in Hillyard,” said Cody McMahan, 14. “Maybe if we had a nicer school, we’d have more confidence.”

The renovation may be the largest renovation project for Spokane Public Schools, said Assistant Superintendent Mark Anderson. Because of the square footage being added, it’s larger than the renovation of Lewis and Clark High School, which is also registered as a historic building.

“We’re expecting it to be the new standard,” Anderson said.

To accommodate the construction schedule, classes will be held in block schedules next year. Students will have three 100-minute periods a day instead of six and will remain in the old building until new spaces are completed.

Because of the demolition of the old gym, some students will be bused to The Warehouse athletic facility on Hamilton Street for physical education classes.

“We even timed how long it will take to get over there,” Meyer said.

But the students and staff said the end result will be worth the trouble.

Students in the Rogers Steel Drum Band said they won’t have to store their drums in a closet anymore. The ensemble, unique to Rogers, will have its own room to store its treasures.

“I think there’s this ‘it’s already broken down so why take care of it’ attitude,” said Ron Crenshaw, the school’s band director. “With a new building, hopefully our students will be a little more protective of their surroundings.”