Article published Sep 7, 2005

Chartwell to expand

Specialized school breaks ground at former Fort Ord

By RIA MEGNIN
The Salinas Californian

SEASIDE - A crowd of 100 Chartwell School students in pink and yellow construction hats vied for shovels Tuesday morning to scrape at the hard ground of their school's future home.

Their teachers and school leaders were there, as always, to help.

"Many of us on the faculty have been waiting for this day for years, and we're so glad to have a real school of our own," said Judy Gaughf, dean of students, at Tuesday's groundbreaking ceremony, attended by nearly 300 Chartwell students, staff, board, alumni and community supporters.

"It's exciting. This is the only time we'll have a new school," said 12-year-old Mia Michael, a sixth-grader from Salinas, who like most of her classmates had to wait a year before landing a seat at Chartwell.

The specialized K-8 school, which prepares students with language-related learning difficulties for a successful return to mainstream schools, has rented facilities since its founding in 1983. It's had to turn away hundreds of students for lack of space. The new $13 million, 22,000-square-foot campus will accommodate 20 more students when it opens next fall on the former Fort Ord.

"The drive to do this came because it's good for students," said Douglas Atkins, Chartwell's executive director. "There's research showing the connection between student learning and (having classrooms) completely, holistically developed to provide education to the child."

Officials hope Chartwell's environmentally responsible construction, including natural lighting and ventilation, will earn it the first platinum-level rating for a school by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system.

"It's going to be unique," said Andrew Ausonio, president of Ausonio Inc., the project's general contractor.