Students at Sumner High School no longer have to sit on the ground to eat their lunch.
Marina Tanay thinks it’s a “big deal”. Tanay Sumner is the Capital Project Manager for the Bonnie Lake School District.
The school district held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, May 17, for the new $37.8 million high school building. This building is part of the school’s modernization and expansion project.
It is one of the projects outlined in $145.6 million bond It was voter-approved in February 2016 and is also the last project to be completed. Other projects for the bond include the construction of Tehale Heights Elementary School. News Tribune reported.
The new Sumner High building includes ground floor common areas, cafeteria space and a secure courtyard. The kitchen can accommodate 4 lunch lines and features a large dry storage area, cooler, and walk-in freezer. There is also a library with meeting rooms on the same floor.
The Spart Mart is located on the 2nd floor where students, faculty and staff can purchase food, snacks and drinks. All three floors have dedicated classrooms for courses such as chemistry, physics, biology and history.
The new building has toilets, stairs and an elevator.
Tanay said one of the new building’s best features is its technology. Interactive monitors are available in many rooms, and Wi-Fi is accessible throughout the building, she said.
“I am very grateful to the voters who made it happen,” Tanay said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
According to Taney, the old high school, built in the 1950s, has run out of space for students to attend. Tanay said the school was built in stages, with some parts he built in 1953 and others in his 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
“If you don’t know where you’re going, you get lost in the old building,” Taney told the News Tribune. “In the new space, everything is clear. There are signs and directions.”
Phase two of the school’s modernization and expansion project will replace the swimming pool, gym and performing arts center, The News Tribune reported. January 2020. Additional classrooms and parking spaces are also being considered.
The school district issued a second stage bond in February 2020 but failed. School districts are still deciding if and when they will issue another bond to voters to help pay for the next phase of costs.
Sign Up: East Pierce Pulse
Find out what’s happening in Puyallup, South Hill, Sumner, Bonny Lake, Orting, Buckley and more. Get the latest news from the cities, towns and rural areas of East Pierce County. Click here to sign up. It arrives in your inbox every Tuesday.
