New year, new stuff
Orchard Center Elementary adds gymnasium, classrooms, technology

Fifth-graders in Katie Owens’ class were the first students to use the new gym at Orchard Center Elementary on the first day of school Thursday.
They were met at the door by physical education teacher and longtime West Valley School District fixture Jim McLachlan, who accepted a list of students in the class from the first girl in line.
“Twenty seven? There’s 27? Somebody’s going to have to leave,” he joked.
The students quickly settled in as McLachlan went over the rules and explained the acoustic tiles that line the new gym walls to reduce echo. “This is as nice as any gym in the district,” he said.
The school also has two new classrooms to expand into. The classrooms will have new technology installed soon, such as Smartboards. “They’re in boxes,” said Principal Travis Peterson.
The school’s population has remained steady at around 300 for several years, so the new classrooms are a bonus. Small groups won’t have to meet in hallways anymore. “It makes the fire marshal happy,” Peterson said. “Our special education department can move out of the glorified closet they were in.”
Like other West Valley elementary schools, Orchard Center used its previous gym as a cafeteria. “We had a cafeteria/gym/stage/whatever else we could do with it,” Peterson said. “With this space, it opens up possibilities.”
The school got its occupancy permit only this week. In addition to the construction, the building had a new sprinkler system installed that was paid for by a grant. “They were putting in ceiling tiles yesterday. It looked like ants on a hill the last couple days.”
Orchard Center is among the last of several district schools to benefit from a $35 million construction bond passed in 2004. The district also received $17 million in matching funds from the state.
West Valley High School was completely modernized and 35,000 square feet were added in a project that took 2 1/2 years.
In March, the district completed a gym and three classrooms at Pasadena Park Elementary and a gym and music room at Seth Woodard Elementary. Also finished this month was a gym and two classrooms at Ness Elementary.
The elementary schools also received some landscaping in the deal, said director of construction Dave Smith. “We got lots of trees and grass and curbs and gutters we didn’t have before,” he said.
The projects all have come in under budget, but sometimes barely. “We ended up the high school budget with 85 bucks,” Smith said.
The work has been well received, if the students at Orchard Center are any indication. Many took a peek inside the new gym on their way to class in the morning and declared it cool. “There were a lot of noses up against the glass,” Peterson said.