PORT ANGELES — About 20 adults loaded onto a school bus recently to head to Stevens Middle School for a field trip, where the eighth-grade leadership class hosted them on guided tours.
When they arrived to school Friday morning, they split into several small tour groups and went class to class, where they saw students programming computers, engineering puzzles, practicing music and even studying civics.
“So much of what we know is based on what we hear, as opposed to what we see and experience,” said Robert Skolnile, who participated in the tour. “To actually come into the school and see it in live action, to be able to talk to the students, to be able to talk to the teachers and get their perspective firsthand … you can’t beat it.”
The Port Angeles School District has been providing guided tours of its aging buildings for the last year: one in the fall and one in the spring. Another school tour is planned in the spring, though a date has not been set yet.
Students walk between classes during passing period at Stevens Middle School. (Jesse Major/Peninsula Daily News)
The adults were not the only ones on a field trip Friday. Many students — about 100 — were exploring the Elwha River.
“What I liked best of all, and it’s not a surprise, is the fact that we’re still doing field trips,” Skolnile said. “You can’t beat experiential education — and that’s the whole idea of the tour.”
They learned about how the transition this year to a six-period bell schedule from last year’s block schedule — meaning shorter class times — has helped students stay focused during the entire class.
Students told the adults that the girls actually have one less bathroom than the boys because one girls’ bathroom had been converted to a bathroom for people with disabilities. The building was built prior to the Americans with Disabilities Act.
This year the students had the opportunity to participate in new elective classes, such as robotics and engineering.
Community members load into a school bus before they tour Stevens Middle School in Port Angeles. (Jesse Major/Peninsula Daily News)
Superintendent Martin Brewer told those who attended the tour that among the reasons the school switched to the six-period bell schedule was because of the recent change in school funding, which forced the district to cut $2.6 million from its budget.
Brewer said that though there’s pros and cons to switching the schedule, students have benefited by being able to take more classes, such as computer programming or civics.
“I feel the pros far outweigh the cons and I love hearing that from the students today,” Brewer said.
Marc Abshire, director of the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce, chats with students during lunch at Stevens Middle School. (Jesse Major/Peninsula Daily News)
Brewer emphasized that when the district made the cuts, it did not touch athletics or music. The district’s enrichment levy funds those programs.
Marc Abshire, director of the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce, said it was “eye-opening” to see the different choices students had for electives.
“It’s fun to be back in a middle school environment because it’s not something you do every day,” Abshire said. “It’s a really important part of our community, all of these kids coming to this facility every day.
“This is happening every day up here and when your day-to-day job and you don’t come into the school, you don’t see this micro-community here,” Abshire said. “It’s fun to be around them all.”
A robot drives through the hallway at Stevens Middle School. (Jesse Major/Peninsula Daily News)
The Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce sponsored the tour.
Abshire was impressed that there is a standalone civics class at the middle school, something he thought was only touched on in other classes.
“The fact the kids at this age are learning civics topics is really important,” he said.
As Abshire toured the building, he said he saw the need for upgrading the facility.
“This facility is old and doesn’t match the amount of dedication from students and teachers,” Abshire said. “They are getting a lot done despite the poor condition of the facilities.”
Port Angeles School Board Member William Kindler walks through the hall in Stevens Middle School during passing period. (Jesse Major/Peninsula Daily News)
The Port Angeles School District is readying to ask voters to consider a levy that would add new construction at Stevens Middle School and renovate the existing building. The school board has not taken any formal action, but staff are preparing to ask the board to approve a resolution in November that would place a levy of $2.75 per $1,000 assessed value on the February ballot.
Also among those who attended is school board member Sandy Long, who encourages others in the community to get a firsthand look at the schools.
Long enjoyed learning about the school’s leadership class and said the students leading the tours were “just outstanding.”
“Everybody needs to come on a school tour,” Long said. “They need to see what’s going on.”
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsuladailynews.com.
