CHANGING SCHOOLS STUDENTS WITNESS CAMPUS OVERHAULS.

Byline: Eugene Tong Staff Writer

SAUGUS - Several local schools are still hidden behind green tarps and wire fencing as crews renovate aging facilities and build new ones, but students and teachers are coping with the buzz and dust with patience and anticipation.

``You try to stay out of the way,'' said Kimmie Stradling, 12, an eighth-grader at Arroyo Seco Junior High, which is in the midst of a $22.4 million, three-year modernization. ``You don't want to interfere because it could throw things off. They're doing a good job blocking it off.''

Arroyo Seco Junior High and Canyon and Saugus high schools are part of an ongoing campus overhaul partly funded by the William S. Hart Union High School District's $138 million construction bond.

With the school's trademark hillside ``S'' covered with dust, crews at Saugus High rebuilt a gutted classroom and the old library from the inside. On the athletic fields, the green lawn has been ripped up in preparation for artificial turf scheduled to be installed in two months.

``It's been a challenge, but it's been OK,' said Patty Stephenson, a Saugus French teacher who was rotated to a portable classroom while her room of 20 years underwent renovation. ``You'll hear things go by, but none of it has interrupted students.''

Of the three projects under way in the Hart district, Arroyo Seco has been dubbed by some district officials as the most difficult part of the multicampus renovation project due to its narrow location between a creek and an incline.

``I didn't think it was going to open, because the parking lot was all torn up (over the summer),'' said Mike Lake, 12, an Arroyo Seco seventh- grader. ``I think it's going to be way better when they're done.''

While many were skeptical the campus could make its Aug. 16 opening after crews faced delays from architectural changes, classes resumed as scheduled. The considerable groundwork done during the summer only left a few scars of fresh asphalt.

``Everybody said, It will not open,'' Principal Rhondi Durand recalled. ``We were assured by the contractors that it would. We just watched the miracle happen.''

Arroyo Seco is marked for extensive improvements, including 13 additional classrooms; a new science building; remodeled classrooms; a renovated office; and a new gymnasium.

``Part of the difficulty is the scope of the work,'' Durand said. ``There is also upgrading the infrastructure.''

Crews last week were converting the old gymnasium into a library, and wiring an expanded administration building. Several classroom buildings will undergo renovation during the 2004-05 school year, with work expected to start on the new gym in late 2005.

With the locker rooms and weight room also out of bounds, the school's P.E. program underwent a slight change. Instead of doing weight training, students are performing strength exercises calibrated against their own body weight until work is completed by next term.

``Everything has surprisingly gone really well,'' said Jon Hanes, 59, an Arroyo Seco physical education teacher. ``I wasn't looking forward to it, but I'm not in pain. You have to be willing to be flexible.''

Still, Durand said school officials have an understanding with the crews, working mostly out of sight of the students, that education comes first.

``If they are working in the area and they're creating noise or problems for the students, we ask them to stop or do it later or over the weekend,'' she said.

For Saugus High Principal Bill Bolde, the primary challenge has been coordinating with faculty members, administrators and construction crews to ensure smooth operation during the school year.

``The biggest challenge is staying on top of everything,'' he said. ``If I'm only paying attention to three, four things and not looking at something else, those people are going to be mad at me.''

Saugus High is slated for a new science building, library and administration building and theater, along with refurbished classrooms. Also, ramps and lifts are being added to comply with federal disability laws.

``(Assistant Principal Frank) Ferry's been taking me up all the ramps,'' said Tim Weber, 18, a senior who uses a wheelchair. ``I'm very interested in seeing how things go.''

Progress is evident in several classrooms on both campuses that were renovated over the summer - from soundproof walls to state-of-the-art computer networks.

``School is for kids,'' Bolde said. ``Our biggest concern is how do we best serve the kids and the community.''

Eugene Tong, [phone]

eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color) Saugus High students, above, play basketball in P.E. class as work is done on the track and football field, in background. At top left, a crew works on a new science building at Saugus High School on Monday.

(3) A worker checks out beams for a classroom at Saugus High, which is undergoing renovations as part of a district project.

David Crane/Staff Photographer