TACOMA, Wash. — Nearly 28,000 students return to school in Tacoma on Monday. Students at one school in the Hilltop neighborhood walked into a brand-new environment.
Bryant Montessori School wrapped up its rebuild this summer. It’s the fifth school that’s been renovated or replaced in Tacoma’s school district since voters invested in the changes in 2020.
he new building replaces the one that had been home to the school since the 1960s.
"It was old. It was desperately in need of being torn down and rebuilt," Bryant Montessori Principal Neil O’Brien said.
The new school, in the same location in Hilltop, welcomed more than 500 Pre-K through 8th graders Monday.
O’Brien said the shine and light of the new building stands out.
"This would make them feel like they're back at home. This is how a classroom should be," teacher Sapna Sethi said about her new-look classroom.
The classrooms don’t look like your standard elementary school room. There’s fewer chairs and more eye-level school supplies. That follows the Montessori method of self-directed and hands-on learning.
"The rooms are bigger. They all are carpeted. They all have sinks in them. They all have cabinets and a lot of shelving for all the materials," O’Brien said.
A team of Bryant staff and community members helped create the vision for the school. Students got to help pick colors on the wall and the schoolhouse frames around the building. The frames represent the “home” theme that school leaders said connects with the Montessori philosophy and neighborhood.
Security was also top of mind with the renovation. There are multiple levels of access needed to enter the school, a vestibule and security cameras.
The new library is larger than the old building. There is a separate cafeteria from the gymnasium. Outside, there is a brand-new recess area. It comes with a garden that will be run by the students.
"It’s going to be this immersive experience where students are working and just have that respite," teacher Jody Engle said.
Bryant is a rare public Montessori school. It’s one of two in Tacoma Public Schools. This means families living nearby get to send their kids there.
The Hilltop neighborhood is an area that historically has a high poverty rate.
"It’s kind of an affirmation for people that chose to live in this neighborhood," O’Brien said.
In 2020, Tacoma voters approved a $535 million bond to replace and renovate eight aging schools in the district.
"We hope it’s an investment that Tacoma is going to be proud of and we're going to enjoy for many years," O’Brien said.
Oakland High School is the next school that is being replaced. It is expected to open in the fall of 2025.