Prescott Students Enjoy Modern Surroundings in Their "Old" School

As a $6.3 million renovation project at the Prescott School nears completion, students, faculty, and staff look forward to enjoying a state-of-the-art facility.

By Ken Graham

The main entrance to the Prescott School is warm and inviting. As you walk through the doors, a large wood reception desk in front of you punctuates the bright curved walkway leading to the two wings of classrooms. The smell of new carpet and paint still lingers, but the school's business is being conducted as usual. Students and parents linger across the desk from the reception staff.

"This entrance is one of the most striking changes we've made," says Prescott School Superintendent, Dr. Carolyn Marsh, of the project to completely renovate the Prescott School buildings. "Before, when you walked through the door here you just saw a blank brick wall." Dr. Marsh leads a tour through the main school building, which houses classrooms for grades 3 through 12, plus administrative offices, library, kitchen and athletic facilities.

From the outside, the buildings have a completely different look, thanks to new structures on the roof which house the newly installed heating and cooling equipment for the buildings. "The HVAC system was the biggest expense of the project," says Dr. Marsh, "but it was desperately needed."

Other projects as part of the Prescott Schools renovation include:

• The center part of the main building has an all-new floor plan, with new kitchen, library and administrative offices.
  
• Boys' and girls' bathrooms are completely new.
• Classrooms in the north and south wings have been modernized, with new lighting, and computer networking.
  
• Classrooms for grades K through 2, housed in a separate building a block away from the main school, are also being renovated.
  
• The multipurpose room/cafeteria has been completely modernized.
  
• The gym, which will now be called the Larry Stuekle Memorial Gymnasium, is being renovated, with new locker rooms, weight room and athletic offices.
  
• Some (but not all) of the furniture in the classrooms and offices will be replaced with new.

In May, 2007, voters in the Prescott School District approved a $4.3 million bond levy to pay for a complete renovation of the school facilities. An additional $2 million in matching funds was provided by the State of Washington. "The deal we made with the voters was that we wouldn't increase the square footage of the buildings," says Dr. Marsh. "But everything that was there is being completely modernized."

During the summer and fall of 2007, Dr. Marsh and the Prescott School Board worked with ALFC Architects of Spokane to quickly complete the new design. "We were on a very tight time schedule," she says. "We had to get the design completed by December so we could go for bids and do the permitting that was needed.

In early 2008, Zeigler construction of Pasco was hired as the general contractor for the project. "They've been wonderful to work with," says Dr. Marsh. She says that the company has taken the Prescott Schools on as their pet project. "They've done a great job and have been right on schedule," she says.

Construction began in April 2008, starting with work on the south classrooms, which house grades 3 through 5. Those classes were moved to temporary quarters. By the time the new school year began in August, those classrooms, along with the kitchen, multi-purpose room/cafeteria and reception area, were completed and ready for use. The administrative offices and library were completed by early December.

So far this year, the middle and high school students have been meeting in the vocational arts building across the street from the school. The kindergarten through second-grade classes are being held in other temporary facilities. All work on the school facilities is expected to be completed by the end of February.

Dr. Marsh arrived in Prescott as Superintendent July 2007, two months after the bond levy passed. She is a Prescott native who left and became a teacher and administrator in Western Washington. After retiring from the Grapeview school district in the 1990's, she worked as a consultant to several school districts. "It's been a great experience coming back to Prescott," says Dr. Marsh. "I feel like I've come full circle."

Dr. Marsh is very appreciative of the Prescott community for its support of the renovation of the School, which was originally built in the mid-1960's. "I think we've created a school where students can thrive for another forty years," she says. "The Prescott community has been a great supporter of our schools and this project. We are very grateful to them."

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