AGRICULTURAL RENAISSANCE NEW PALMDALE HIGH CLASSROOM TO REPLACE ONE TORCHED IN 2003.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer

PALMDALE - Palmdale High School's agricultural program, the largest in the Antelope Valley, will be getting a new classroom to replace the one destroyed in 2003, apparently by an arsonist.

The classroom and a barn were destroyed by fires that occurred from August to November at the school. A new metal barn was constructed earlier this year.

``The district has been very gracious in making sure everything gets redone and back up,'' agricultural teacher Cathy Calvert said.

The $395,000 classroom project is scheduled to begin construction in May, and school officials hope to have it completed by the start of the school year or during the first part of the year.

Insurance will cover the cost of the contract.

``I think we had some space they were able to utilize but it doesn't make for a really good program, and Palmdale has an excellent agricultural program. They will be excited when they get the new one for fall,'' trustee Al Beattie said.

The agricultural program has 488 students.

Calvert said the program managed without the buildings in the interim.

``For us, it feels like an eternity and for my animals, too. We managed. Our students were self-reliant. We made sure the animals were properly taken care of,'' Calvert said.

A trailer was converted into a makeshift barn, Calvert said.

The metal barn was put up earlier this year but still has no electricity, Calvert said.

The school's agricultural program is at the northern edge of the campus, away from other classrooms.

In August 2003, one of the agricultural buildings caught fire mysteriously just after 3 p.m. during summer vacation. Another fire broke out in the same building nine hours later. The two fires destroyed the building.

In November, another fire broke out in another agriculture structure while school was in session.

Karen Maeshiro, [phone]

karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com

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4 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Agricultural students Randi Baker, 15, left, and Lauren Krause, 15, play with one of Palmdale High's lambs. Students have been without a classroom since theirs burned in 2003.

(2 -- color) Cosmo the llama is one of the animals that lives in Palmdale High School's agricultural department's new metal barn.

(3 -- color) Ag students Lauren Krause, left, and Randi Baker tend to some of the animals in front of Palmdale High School's new barn.

(4 -- color) Turkeys like this one are among the Palmdale High School agriculture program's animals.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer