August 2002

Ran:  San Diego Union-Tribune North County
Sunday, August 25, 2002

Welcome to Westview

Poway district's newest campus ready to make students feel they count

RANCHO PENASQUITOS - Classrooms are furnished, computers are installed and library shelves are stocked. After years of planning and months of anticipation, Westview will open its doors tomorrow to about 930 freshmen and sophomores for the first day of school.

Poway Unified School District's fourth and newest high school features Internet access in every classroom, a state-of-the-art performing arts center and the philosophy that every student counts.

Westview offers students more time with teachers during longer class periods and plenty of opportunities to connect with their new school through sports, student leadership and other extracurricular activities. The open, circular campus is designed to promote a sense of community so that students don't feel they're in an institution.

Picture windows about the school's entrance signal Westview's focal point and showpiece - a 10,000-square-foot library complete with a specially designed research center outfitted with 36 computers for easy access to the Internet.

"You can't enter the school without passing the library - that's a statement," said Principal Jerry Leininger, who proudly shows off the "very inviting, kid-friendly furniture," including chairs that teens can lean back in without risk of falling. "You know how librarians are always telling kids not to lean back because they'll tip over? These chairs are made for that," he said.

The library, which sits on top of the school's administrative offices, also includes a student cafe with tables, chairs and a TV. Contrary to rumors, Leininger said, there will be no barista whipping up cafe mochas and cappuccinos, only vending machines.

"When we tell kids they (jokingly) say, 'Oh, no, that's not what we signed up for,' " Leininger said.

But he knows students will get a lot more than lattes and espressos out of their time at Westview. The students know it, too.

Afton Larson, 15, begged her mother to let her attend Westview. Afton went to Mt. Carmel High School last year, and her mother wanted her to stay there. "But she kept coming home every day with more and more information on why she should come to Westview," JoAnne Larson said.

Larson said her daughter could walk to Mt. Carmel. "We live three minutes from the school. I knew it would be such a hassle to get her to (Westview) school."

"It's going to be worth it," Afton said. "You're actually going to be somebody (at Westview). You're not just going to be this little speck."

Larson said her daughter is looking forward to participating in the school's sports programs and will see many familiar faces on campus, including other former Mt. Carmel students and teachers.

School officials have touted Westview as a model for the best educational practices and a break from the factory model of learning where bells ring about every 50 minutes and students move from one classroom to the next.

"Human beings don't learn that way," Leininger said. "Some people are visual, some are tactile - they need to feel it, do it, learn it. There are different approached for different students."

Westview students will have a block schedule consisting of four 90-minute classes. The longer periods will give teachers more flexibility in how they present their classes, Leininger said. Each class is designed to cover one year's worth of material in one semester, giving students more opportunities to take electives such as drama, music and art.

Personal attention

Brianna Vargas, 15, likes the possibility of taking more elective classes. She's also looking forward to being part of a smaller student population after spending her freshman year at Mt. Carmel. Like Poway Unified's other high schools, Rancho Bernardo and Poway, Mt. Carmel serves more than 3,000 students.

"You're like a grain of rice there. At Westview it will be different," said Brianna, who hopes to play softball and run for activities commissioner of the new school's student government.

Brianna said she wasn't too thrilled with the idea of longer class periods when she first heard about the block scheduling, but decided "it won't be that bad."

"We'll have more time with teachers so there will be more one-on-one (with students)," said Brianna, who also likes the idea of having a homeroom teacher.

Westview's staff is counting on building better personal relationships with students and parents through the homeroom period. Each teacher will have 20 students in homeroom and will meet daily for 20 minutes to talk about courses, schedules and other topics. If a student is absent, the homeroom teacher is the contact person, rather than an anonymous attendance office, said Leininger, who will have his own homeroom class.

Teacher Maury Scruggs is looking forward to having fewer students and more time with them. But he admits teachers will have to be creative in planning their lessons.

"We've all had experiences with classes that drag on and seem to go on forever," Scruggs said.

But the longer periods will give teachers the opportunity to change the pace as needed and build relationships with 90 to 100 students per semester instead of trying to deal with more than 160 students.

Community school

Although Westview will open with fewer than 1,000 students, it will eventually serve 2,260. Leininger said he hopes to retain the community connection with students as the school grows.

Westview's $75 million campus was designed to be open and inviting, "with lost of open spaces for kids to meet and visit," Leininger said. The school, which is build on a 71-acre plot, was designed by NTD Architects, with input from teachers, administrators, parents and students.

The school's 45 standard classrooms and 12 science labs are built in academic villages. The classrooms share work space, providing an area where small groups of students can work on joint projects.

Douglas Barnhart Construction has been working on Westview since November 2000, and work crews are putting the finishing touches on the school' spool, gymnasium and football field. The school is 97 percent completed and should be finished by the end of September.

The gym, which features Bose speakers, has raised ceilings that will filter in natural light. The building also has classrooms that will be used for the school's exercise and nutrition program. Westview will focus on individual health and fitness instead of the traditional physical education class. Instead of PE, it's ENS, Exercise and Nutritional Science, Leininger said. "We don't want students to feel they have to be an athlete. We'll be teaching aerobics, yoga and weightlifting," he said.

Those students who do want to play sports will have plenty of chances. Although there will be no seniors or two years and juniors this year, the school is planning to have varsity teams in all major sports, except for football. Todd Cassen, Westview's athletic director, said there could be three teams in some sports this year, depending on the numbers of students who try out.

"We had 32 girls show up for the first volleyball practice," Cassen said. "So we'll have three teams - varsity, JV and freshman."

Leininger is almost joyful when he talks about Westview's attributes - more time with teachers, plentiful opportunities for sports participation, state-of-the-art resources in the library, It all comes down to connecting with the kids and having students connect with their school, he said, "to ensure they every child is successful."

Back