New high school campaign kicks off with voting right around corner
More than 350 supporters of the Yes for Lewiston’s Future campaign rallied in the Salsberg Room at Towne Square in Lewiston Jan. 12. The campaign kickoff presented the enthusiastic community members with a variety of guest speakers voicing their support for a new Lewiston High School building.
Voters will approve or reject the bond to fund new building March 14. Upcoming campaign events take place Jan. 31 at The Red Lion from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., Feb. 15 at the LCSC Williams Conference Center from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., and March 1 Schweitzer Engineering from 5 to 8 p.m.
According to yeslhs.com some features of the new high school would include:
• Modern science classrooms that feature natural light, updated ventilation and room to allow all students to participate in experiments;
• Physical education space updates, including weight rooms, gymnasiums and training areas, since students have to be bussed off campus for many P.E. classes right now;
• Large enough classrooms that can include technology to promote learning;
• Music, art and drama classroom spaces designed to meet program requirements;
• Cafeteria space that can accommodate the whole student body during lunch instead of having to divide up into first and second lunch schedules;
• Sufficient parking that does not impact the surrounding neighborhoods.
“We are voting YES for LHS because our kids deserve a school that is safe and provides an enviornment that promotes optimal learning,” said Kayla Miller, a parent of a future LHS graduate class of 2032. “We are voting yes because a vote for our schools is and investment into the future of our community.”
Another reason many community members are advocating for a new school is that they say there is sufficient evidence that a comprehensive grades 9-12 high school is beneficial for students, as opposed to the current model with grades 10-12 only.
The YesLHS website outlines benefits of having a 9-12 high school, rather than keeping freshmen at the junior highs. Ninth-graders would be able to take career technical classes all four years of their high school experience, and would have more opportunities for elective classes such as performing arts and foreign languages, further preparing them for successful post-high school lives.
Community members opposing the new high school voice concerns of increased property taxes and the current high school being left vacant. However, yeslhs.com shows examples of the of the investment to be made by home owners, claiming that the median payment would be $10.61 per month per home in the Lewiston School District.
