Westside School is in their new home at 7740 34th S.W. in the E.C. Hughes building and they couldn't be happier. The school is a beehive of activity with teachers, and parent volunteers all preparing for the coming school year.

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Jo Ann Yockey, Head of the School, took the West Seattle Herald on an exclusive tour of the new home for Westside and pointed out the surprising and delightful aspects they discovered when they moved in.

"I'm in heaven," said Yockey, referring to the much larger space the school now has, "and we've filled up the building and so it's great. To see it come together, cleaning it up, you don't know when you are getting an old building but it's all wired for the internet, the security is fantastic."

Everyone agrees that the best thing about the school is the light that streams in through the large multi pane windows found everywhere in building originally constructed in 1913. "Our classrooms are full of light with huge windows we have gorgeous views. We're going to study the Cascade Mountains because we're looking at the Cascade Mountains," said Margie Carpenter a first grade teacher at the school. "This is the highest part of West Seattle," added Yockey referring to the elevation which according to SDOT is 6 parcels south of the watertower at 35th Ave SW and SW Myrtle Street at 520 feet above sea level. Renee Smith, another teacher said, "We're an exhausted first grade team. We've been unpacking and figuring out how best to use the new space."

Westside offers classes from preschool through fifth grade.

The school formed a steering committee to accomplish the move that organized the effort. While the Seattle School District agreed to paint the exterior windows, the inside clean up and paint had to be done by the new tenants. The effort also covered two covered play areas outside that Yockey explained were built as separate boys and girls play areas in 1926. Today they will be used for pre-school students and older children when the weather is inclement. The team had a big list to finish including cleaning, waxing and buffing the floors, installing new office carpets, re-lamping all the fixtures, replacing a damaged handrail, replacing damaged ceiling tile and getting rid of all the weeds on the surrounding grounds. They also enlarged the driveway for the south parking lot.

The playground was repaved with new asphalt on Thursday, Aug 19 and there's plan to later tear some of it up to install a grass field, but that's on the wish list. The existing playsets were moved to the new site, "since they were only three years old and they add a touchstone for returning students," said Director of Admissions David Bergler. There are wood chips around the equipment and a curb is being added. As part of any lease with the Seattle School District they must leave the school grounds open after hours and on weekends so neighborhood children can access it as well.

Yockey was delighted to find that the school already had a motorized chair lift for the handicapped to access the gymnasium. The floor of the gym had some damage and is being repaired. She pointed out that the auditorium has a kitchen, though the school will not provide a lunch service. Instead they recommend a service called Blueplate Express that brings hot lunches into the school ordered by the parents. The auditorium had another surprise in the form of a projection booth. The fully insulated and metal walled room was built when films were shown for education or entertainment purposes. They don't know what they will do with the space but are considering ideas.

The school will have its grand opening on September 7th with a ribbon cutting. "Traditionally we open the Wednesday after Labor Day and the day before at 4 o'clock the children come to see their classroom," said Yockey, "So this year we're making it a ribbon cutting and we're going to have a kind of back to school picnic supper for everybody with just some simple food, not a potluck."

Director of Admissions David Bergler said, "I love how kids learn here. They roll their sleeves up and get involved in their learning. There's a lot of experiential learning. A lot of cooperative work. They understand how to accept the opinions of others and appreciate the strengths of others and work towards a common goal. That's fabulous to see that in action."