It's back to class for Conejo Valley public schools
By Joann Groff  joann@theacorn.com

CROSSING THE BRIDGE--Westlake High School sophomores Shawn McLeod and McAuley Cahill, both 15, and Megan Winer, center, 16, cross over the bridge to campus Wednesday, the first day of the 2007-08 school year. JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers

While students were counting down their last days of summer, a flurry of last-minute preparations was taking place on their campuses.

This summer was a busy one for Conejo Valley Unified School District, with many facilities projects packed into less than three months of summer break before classes resumed yesterday.

"We're just about to the end of our 10-year modernization project," said Jeff Baarstad, assistant superintendent of business services. Westlake High School and Los Cerritos Middle School got new alarm systems and air conditioning units. "We're just going to get them buttoned up in time for school to start."

At Thousand Oaks High School, a project to renovate and modernize the science labs includes building four stateoftheart labs from scratch.

Improvements are being made to eight existing labs, with additional utilities and new painting and flooring.

"The labs are going to be as nice as any school has in Ventura County," Baarstad said. "Especially any built in the 1960s."

The 18-month project should be completed in November.

Students at Sequoia Middle School will see quite a change when they walk through the center of their school.

In place of the grass courtyard, the quad area has been transformed into an amphitheatre for outdoor assemblies and graduation ceremonies.

"The courtyard really took a beating," Baarstad said. "There were some old trees that were at the end of their lives and the grass was in the shade during the day. There's new landscaping and concrete blocking--it's really attractive."

Despite the last-minute scramble, students who arrived at school this week were greeted not only by teachers, but updated buildings, utilities and landscaping.

"It's always nip and tuck," Baarstad said.

"There never seems to be enough days. But between the construction people, our managers, maintenance, everyone, they perform miracles," he said.

Superintendent Mario Contini acknowledged the work of everyone who pitched in.

"There's been quite a lot going on with facilities this summer," he said.

"It's going to be a great year. We are really looking forward to it," Contini said.