School belatedly celebrates its opening

Sept. 13, 2001 12 AM PT

Deirdre Newman

NEWPORT COAST --Although it’s been open since February, Newport Coast

Elementary School celebrated its official opening Wednesday during its

back-to-school night.

Since Newport Coast originally opened during the school year, the

staff decided to hold off on the official opening until the fall, said

Principal Monique VanZeeBroeck.

The celebration was an opportunity for the community to come together

and honor the intensive efforts that went into opening the school, she

said.

“I don’t know what I would do without the [parents],” said

VanZeeBroeck. “They’re like my right hand -- they’re very supportive.”

Newport Coast, which currently serves 401 students in kindergarten

through sixth grade, was supposed to open last fall. But construction

delays prolonged the opening and the students spent the better half of

last year on Lincoln Elementary’s campus.

The school opened Feb. 26 to the delight of parents, students and

teachers. Over the summer, the finishing touches were applied to the

school, including finishing the playing field, adding a playground

structure and painting the lines in the parking lot.

The midyear opening made the start of this school year easier,

VanZeeBroeck said.

“It’s such a nice feeling to be here after the summer since everyone

already has their own classrooms,” she said.

The modern school is a model of energy-efficiency as it boasts

classrooms designed to take advantage of natural light, while the heating

and cooling are centrally located and controlled by the district through

computers.

“We really hope the community will enjoy the school for many, many

years,” said Supt. Robert Barbot of the Newport-Mesa Unified School

District.

School officials considered postponing the official opening after the

horrendous terrorist attacks on Tuesday morning, but they decided on the

importance of moving on and held a minute of silence during the

celebration, VanZeeBroeck said.

* Deirdre Newman covers education. She may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .