by Alyssa J. O’Brien

Newly painted school. All photo credits: Alyssa J. O’Brien

There’s a new look to the middle school in Half Moon Bay — and students are talking about it. Over the past two months, the new Manuel F. Cunha Intermediate School has emerged from steel shells. Construction trucks have been replaced by electricians’ vans and painting ladders. At the intersection of Kelly and Church streets, a new middle school is open for visitors — and students are voicing their opinions.

Tour Offers Sneak Peek

On Sunday, Sept. 21, the Cabrillo Education Foundation offered free hard-hat tours of the new buildings and middle school campus. Superintendent Robert Gaskell welcomed visitors. He told the crowd of parents and community members that there is a lot to celebrate: at Cunha, test scores are up, enrollment is up, and the construction is ahead of schedule and on budget.

Next, former superintendent John Bayless led visitors on a tour of the middle school; highlights included the new library. Bayless pointed out the impressive technology center and the potential for wireless computing.

View of the science teacher lab.

Bayless also explained the striking aesthetics of the new buildings — the particular brown, teal and mustard colors and the bold blocky shapes. According to Bayless, the school’s original structures were built during the art deco era of the 1930s. The project’s designers decided to try and match the look and feel of that original era. They studied many art deco designs and picked art deco colors for the renovations. The art deco look will also extend to the tiles, the painting choices, the structural design of the buildings, and even the design of the new bathrooms.

Tour inside science rooms.

Artistic design choices will help determine public reaction to the new school. As former middle school student Katharine Bell said, “We need a good learning environment. It’s important for the kids to feel at home and comfortable at our school.” She said a clean and spacious environment was much better than “a grubby, smelly, tight environment.”

But do both middle school students and Half Moon Bay residents understand and appreciate this rich history and the careful artistic designs made by the project?

High School Students Are Impressed

Some former Cunha Intermediate School students, who now attend the high school, assisted with the tours by greeting visitors, watching young children, and working the “Buy a Brick” table. As part of the Half Moon Bay High School’s Interact club, these students made the tours a success by offering a helping hand.

Former superintendent John Bayless leading tour in the new library.

At the “Buy a Brick” table, high school seniors and Interact members Kirsten Ivazes and Kristen Kalkin shared their story and their enthusiasm for the new middle school. Ivazes and Kalkin met the first day of school at Cunha in physical education class, and have remained friends ever since. Their smiles and their appreciation for the building secured many sales for the “Buy a Brick” table that day.

Nearby, at the care-area station, Interact sophomores shared their views on the new middle school in between watching kids and running the film A Bug’s Life. “It’s amazing,” said one. “Good improvement over the old school.” Another’s voice was stronger: “I’m jealous!” she said, pointing out the library as a great new space.

Katharine Bell had an equally positive response to the new school: “The new buildings seem to be pretty cool … It is pretty amazing and the buildings are being  repainted everyday.” When she saw the new design, she thought it looked somewhat like “one of those dream schools” that appear in books.

Features of the New School

New art deco bathroom.

One of the artistically unique spaces of the new middle school is the music room. Outfitted with acoustic “kennels” that resemble a pet hospital, the new room also features innovatively designed musical storage cabinets. The walls are treated with four layers of special fireproof paint.

Another showcase area is the section of science classrooms. Each one has special countertops, an eye wash station to flush out chemicals in case of accidents, and stations for students to work together. The rooms all have three exits, including one to a long corridor that serves as a teacher prep area.

The art classroom will have a tiled floor, room for a kiln, and natural light filtering in from the windows. The room will open out to the field, where students can work on pottery projects. The dynamic, versatile space promises to be a big improvement from the old school.

For teachers, every classroom offers a sophisticated technological set-up. At the front of each class will be a whiteboard, an LCD projector that drops down for easy viewing by students, and wireless potential for computing needs.

Students selling fundraising bricks.

As of September, the status of the new Cunha Intermediate School was  impressive: the project was six months ahead of schedule, 85 percent complete, and on budget. But two months later, in November, the future users of the project still knew very little about it.

Middle School Students Share Mixed Reactions

While the new building impressed parents on the September hard-hat tour, and while high school students wish they had experienced the “cool” new features of the middle school, current Cunha students voiced less enthusiasm. Many students walking through the halls on Election Day called the buildings “ugly.”

Some made specific suggestions for the building’s design. One student, Courtney Andreini, said she would “rather have pink.” Eighth grader Ian Impink was not fond of the school’s new look. “It would be nice to have more trees,” he said when told of the plan to put greenery in the middle of the concrete courtyard. On the other hand, Ian was very excited about the new science classrooms. “They sound cool,” he said.

But both students had mixed feelings about the two-story building. “It’s huge. It will be harder to get to class because of the stairs,” said Ian.

A few students voiced more positive opinions. Kenny Welsh was impressed by the new library. “If you are reading a book, you can look out on Church Street,” he said. With applied technology being his favorite class, he also appreciated the new expanded tech center. As for the design, Kenny said the previous color “got old” and he is excited about the new buildings.

David Arella, another positive voice, spent part of his Election Day serving the school. As he collected plastic bottles for recycling, he reflected on the new school. “It looks nice but I haven’t been inside,” he said. “It will be better than the old school.”

Cunha student David Arella.

Kenny’s and David’s optimism might be shared by more students if they had  a chance to learn about the strategic choice of the building’s art deco design and were invited to tour the new buildings, including a visit to the music room, science rooms, or the tech center in the library.

Green Features and Cost Controls

What these students can look forward to is careful design. The new buildings boast impressive green design features, such as windows for air ventilation, gas heat, and vents that channel the heat over students rather than into the faces of those in the front. A showpiece classroom on the top south end has windows on three sides, although there seems to be less space for bookshelves.

The project directors paid careful attention to detail, attempting to create the best possible environment for student learning. For technology rooms,  the builders turned two small rooms into one computer lab that can fit nearly 40 students. On the tour, Bayless showed visitors the individual rug tiles that make easy replacement possible.

Bayless also addressed concerns about spending, explaining that the project retained the old buildings B and C as surge space. The school district saved money by not using expensive rented portable classrooms.

As of early November, current middle school students still had not visited the spaces or learned about the discussions, research, and rationale for the design choices, the color scheme, or the exciting green aspects and educational features of the new school. Perhaps if students knew the history behind the design of the new school, they might have more appreciation for the impressive work that has been done at the corner     of Church and Kelly in Half Moon Bay.

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