New elementary schools open to fanfare

WASILLA — Monday may have been the first day of school, but for the two newest in the Mat-Su Borough, Tuesday was the day of christening.

Local educators and government officials turned out for a pair of introductory ceremonies followed by ribbon cuttings at the new Iditarod Elementary School at 10 a.m., and an hour after that concluded it was off to Knik Knack Mud Shack Road for the unveiling of not just a new building, but a new school altogether at Dena’ina Elementary.

For Iditarod principal Scott Nelson, who had been the principal for six years at the nearby old site, had three wishes for the new building, and all were fulfilled.

“My wishes were for windows, a conference area that was a designated place to meet with parents, and also a sledding hill. And as you can see, we’ve got one that everyone will go to,” Nelson said after the ribbon cutting. “And, of course, windows.”

A lack of windows was a common complaint from staff and students alike at the old Iditarod, but it was far from the school’s biggest problem.

“Had any remodeling been done, it would have had to go through the asbestos removal process,” Nelson said. “It was in need of a new roof and had other maintenance issues.”

The new Iditarod Elementary School, highlighted by a shield on the face of the main entry, features a snowflake to represent the uniqueness of each student and a paw print to recognize the school’s Husky mascot, was built as part of a $214 million bond lawmakers pushed and taxpayers voted through.

Nelson was grateful that vote came in the high cotton days of 2014, and not the cash-strapped current financial situation statewide.

“It would be tough now,” Nelson said. “We were very blessed it was passed, with the state picking up 70/30.”

Many of those lawmakers and government officials were on hand at Iditarod, including Mat-Su Borough Mayor Vern Halter, Wasilla Mayor Bert Cottle and Borough Manager John Moosey, who was relatively new to the job when the bond push came up.

“My first month, they wanted $214 million for the school bond, and at the same time, $64 million for roads,” recalled Moosey, who estimated it will take about 20 years for the bond to be paid up. “I figured those were going to cancel each other out, at best, but both passed… It might just be a certain point in time where this was going to work.”

After cookies, students went back into the building and the ribbon-cutting parade made the trek to Knik Knack Mud Shack Road, and the introduction of a brand new school, Dena’ina Elementary.

Principal Andrea Everett had the big scissor honors there. “Actually, everything has gone really pretty smoothly, given all the things that could’ve gone wrong,” said Everett, who was a principal for two years at Meadow Lakes before getting the Dena’ina job in February. Everett said enrollment is approaching 400, with a number siphoning in from Knik Elementary and Goose Bay Elementary, but also many who had been homeschooled.

“A lot of people out this way were just waiting for it to be built to put their kids in school,” she said.

Nelson said the enthusiasm of the students has been remarkable. “It truly is a rejuvenation for staff and students,” he said. “The kids have been very excited — they love all the features like the upstairs reading coveys, the individual student areas, the hanging hooks in all the classrooms — and they love the windows.”