A dozen new schools unveiled

Thursday, Aug. 7, 2003 | 9:53 a.m.

For each of the past three years the Clark County School District has opened at least 10 new schools, a number that would stagger just about any other region.

But in the Las Vegas Valley, where booming growth has become a fact of daily life, an increase of about 12,000 new students every year has become almost routine, Clark County Schools Superintendent Carlos Garcia said Wednesday.

"The average school district in this country is 5,000 students, which means we grow nearly three districts every fall," Garcia said. "We do it so often, it's easy to forget the magnitude of the accomplishment."

While there are 12 new campuses opening Aug. 25, principals say they expect each of their campuses to stand out in the crowd. The new schools were unveiled Wednesday at the Las Vegas Convention Center at a celebration sponsored by the architectural firms that built the campuses.

At Liberty High School, on Bermuda Road in Henderson, the curriculum is centered around classical studies, including mandatory Latin courses for all students. Sandy Miller Elementary School, a magnet program to focus on international studies on East Lake Mead Boulevard, also hopes to become the first elementary school in the state to be accredited by the International Baccalaureate Program.

The district will also open its second professional development school -- a partnership with the School of Education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Petersen Elementary School on Cambridge Street will join Paradise Elementary School on the UNLV campus as a training ground for educators.

"We've got some very exciting programs coming on board," Clark County School Board President Sheila Moulton said. "We're expect a great deal from all our schools and I think we're going to see some terrific results."

In the nation's sixth-largest school district with 263,571 students expected for the 2003-04 academic year, the new school openings are part of a $3.5 billion school construction bond program backed by voters in 1998.

Of the 12 schools showcased Wednesday, five are opening one year ahead of schedule and five are two years ahead of schedule -- all because of booming enrollment, said Fred Smith, construction manager for the district. That brings the total number of district schools to 289.

Among the campuses opening is Howard E. Hollingsworth Elementary School on East Ogden Avenue, the first in the district built using a two-story design with underground parking.

Being chosen to open the new school is a "thrill and a privilege," Hollingsworth Principal Doug Wilson said.

"We just can't wait to get the kids inside," Wilson said, as he manned a display table with brochures and photographs detailing the school's construction progress. "We've been working like crazy to get everything ready for them."

Students at the new Richard C. Priest Elementary School in North Las Vegas will be expected to wear uniforms -- khaki bottoms with burgundy and tops. While several Clark County campuses have voluntary uniform policies, Priest hopes to follow the lead of several Henderson elementary schools and make it mandatory, Principal Linda Griffith said.

As part of a pilot study approved by the Clark County School Board for the district's southeast region, five Henderson elementary schools have mandatory uniform policies. Marge Appuglise, principal of Glen Taylor Elementary in Henderson will ask that her school be allowed to join the study.

Griffith said she supports a related measure currently being considered by the board that would ask teachers to follow the dress code at schools requiring mandatory student uniforms.

"When we act as role models for the children I think it's easier for them," said Griffith, who wore khaki trousers and a burgundy polo-style shirt bearing the Priest logo. "It's also easier for us to figure out what to put on every morning."

Miller and Hollingsworth elementary schools also are encouraging students to wear uniforms.