It's open - school bell rings at Yerba Buena
Long wait for new elementary school is finally over
By Stephanie Bertholdo  bertholdo@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers CLASS IN SESSION--The Yerba Buena school sits on the border between Agoura and Westlake.

Clean restrooms, classroom drawers that slide in and out easily, and new playground equipment were named as some of the top reasons why the first day at the new Yerba Buena Elementary School was "awesome."

Second-grader Renay Mimran said her first impression of the school was that "the bathrooms are clean."

First-grade student Adrianna Ebrahim said she enjoyed playing with her friends on the new playground, but Adrianna's mother, Cristelle, is a bit concerned about the heavy traffic at the school.

"It was wonderful," said first-grade teacher Bonny May on her first day at the new school. "Kids made a nice transition from the old to the new." May said she was excited about all the new classroom features, including the large, spic-and-span rooms, and drawers that "open readily." The school is "child-friendly," she said.

PAUL FEY/Special to The Acorn EMPTY CORRIDORS--Agoura Hills resident Nathan Fey, 8, is the very first student to arrive at the new Yerba Buena Elementary School campus on opening day. Nathan, who is in Terry Whitney's second-grade class, decided weeks ago that he wanted to be the first student at the new school and he fulfilled that dream.

"Our chairs kind of squeak when you move them," said third-grader Kate Foultz. "The blackboards are cool--they slide."

For first-grade student Alec Friedman, the larger handball courts made a fine impression. Kyle Friedman, Alec's brother, will be a member of the first graduating class. "I'm so happy we didn't wait until next year," his mother said.

Brent Noyes, principal of Yerba Buena, said opening day has been "exciting . . . a dream come true."

"I think things went very smoothly," Noyes said. "There are a lot of wonderful parents who helped in class. School board members and district staff helped on Saturday and Sunday."

Megan Grant, a fifth-grade student, said she is glad to be part of the school even if it's just for six weeks. "We're going right back to the same school," Megan said of the 2007-08 school year when she and her classmates will culminate and attend Lindero Canyon Middle School, the campus located right next door to the old Yerba Buena.

Fourth-grade student Tillie Kayton said she had an "amazing" day. "Everything is so clean and fresh."

To celebrate the long-awaited school, students, teachers and administrators all wore red opening day T-shirts.

Why so long?

The new elementary school was approved by the school board in 2000, but soil contamination, skyrocketing land prices, requirements to place power lines underground and the discovery of roosting owls delayed the project for years.

According to Donald Zimring, deputy superintendent, the school's proximity to environmentally sensitive Medea Creek was one reason why construction took so long. Working with 27 different agencies, including the Army Corps of Engineers, which has jurisdiction over waterways, was another challenge.

Yerba Buena's current enrollment totals 440 students, but there's room for up to 600, Zimring said.

Each of the 25 classrooms is connected to a workroom, and the library/media center can accommodate three classrooms at once. There is also a fully stocked computer lab.

There is stadium seating in the quad area, and additional seating is located between classrooms.

Nestled between mountains and streams, the media center's bank of windows frames views of nature.

The school is unusual because it is located on the boundary of two cities--Agoura Hills and Westlake Village. A regulation soccer field will be open in the future, and the city of Westlake Village has already agreed to rent the fields for use after school hours. The contract stipulates that Westlake Village will pay for the field's maintenance and irrigation costs.