New Schools for Englewood

Englewood Middle School is under construction as it is transformed into an Alternative High School for the area.  The students of Englewood are also getting a new high school that they can look forward to in 2014.  Check out the updates below and learn about these two great schools coming to the area.




Debris covers the floor of a section of Englewood Middle School as crews prepare to start renovation construction for what will be the campus for Colorado's Finest Alternative High School. Courtesy photo

Dust and construction sounds daily echo through Englewood Middle School as crews work on a major renovation of the building that will eventually be the campus of Colorado’s Finest Alternative High School.

“I take my hat off to the construction crews and to the students and staff at the middle school because all this work is being done while classes are in session,” said Brian Ewert, school superintendent. “All possible efforts are made to keep the dust and noise to a minimum, but there still is dust and noise. But the project is moving along and looking good.”

The project is a complete makeover of Englewood Middle School. At the end of 2014, the middle-school students will move to the new seventh- through 12th-grade campus at the Englewood High School site, and 2015 will begin with the middle-school building becoming the new campus of Colorado’s Finest Alternative High School.

Ewert said the project was made easier with the decision to keep sixth-graders at the elementary school. That decision meant there are only about 300 students in the middle school building.

A lot of planning was done before work started, but it still meant teachers and students were moved around as the construction progressed.

“The most frequently asked questions are about the safety of our students with a construction project going on in the school,” Ewert said. “First, there is a barrier between the construction area and the students. Students can’t get into the construction area and construction crews can’t get into the student area. We also make sure that no fire exits are blocked.”

He said while there is dust, there are constant tests taken to make sure the air quality is acceptable. If a room or area gets too dusty, there is a system to pressurize the area to remove the dust.

Another safety move involved checking all people coming onto the campus, the superintendent said.

“Extensive background checks were conducted on all the construction crew members in and around the building,” he said. “If an individual didn’t clear the background check, he or she is not allowed on our campus.”

Each worker has a logo on his or her hard hat, along with an employee identification number. That is so if a worker commits an infraction such as smoking on school property, the number can be turned for possible disciplinary action. Ewert said so far, no infraction has been committed by anyone working on the renovation of the middle school or construction of the new campus at the high school site. 

For more information see Colorado News.