Showing off Tiefort View

FORT IRWIN - Tiefort View Intermediate School Principal Jason Moore had to wait before he could show off his new school. He had to wait for the contractors to hang the curtains in the cafeteria. He had to wait for the field behind the school to be covered in grass seed. He had to wait.

But on Wednesday, the wait for Moore, his staff and the more than 400 third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students at Tiefort was over. Representatives from the Silver Valley School District, the county Superintendent of Schools and the army officially dedicated Tiefort View, bringing to a close a project four years in the making.

"What an awesome day for the National Training Center," said Brig. Gen. Robert Cone. "This is certainly the nicest school that I've ever been in."

Many of Teifort's students agree with Cone. John Placenta, 8, a third-grade student in Chandra Johnson's class, said he likes the new white boards in his classroom. He said sometimes the new room feels smaller, but he's pretty sure it is bigger than his old classroom.

Sarah Cordova and Sierra E. Aubel, both 9, said they thought the classrooms are bigger. They like the new desks and chairs inside the classrooms. Sierra said the new chairs are like rocking chairs, which is fun. The new desks are two-person desks, Sarah said. They sat next to each other on the first day at Tiefort, but their teacher quickly separated them.

"So we wouldn't talk so much," Sarah said.

Students started attending Tiefort in early January after winter vacation.

The phones did not work on the first day, Moore remembered, but since then, the transition into the new school has been seamless.

"The only surprise is that every thing has worked," Moore said.

Silver Valley School Board President Karen Gray said that day, Jan. 8, 2007, was the most important day in the school's short history. In her remarks during the ceremony, Gray said the opening of Tiefort plays a role in the mission the Army completes at Fort Irwin and abroad.

"The most basic function of education is to improve one another and to leave the community better than when you found it," she said. "Schools and children's access to education is a key part of the military mission in the Middle East."

Col. Chris Philbrick said a "wonderful," "fantastic," "terrific," - he eventually ran out of words - school such as Tiefort will help the base recruit and retain talented soldiers. He called the school a "gem" in the desert.

"Soldiers come to Fort Irwin and see they have top-notch schools and say, 'I want to stay at Fort Irwin,' " he said.

Station Gonzales, 9, Nick Baker, 8, and Yamid Rivera, 8, were not worried about retaining and recruiting soldiers as they finished their lunch in Johnson's classroom. They looked forward to recess and the new playground equipment.

"I like the new playground. You get to run around, and there are new games," Station said. "And they finally put up some shade because it is burning hot out there."

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