Dana Hills High School’s 20-year-old portable classroom buildings are being demolished as Capistrano Unified School District prepares to construct a new 14-classroom building.
CUSD began demolition in late October and is looking to break ground for the new building on Golden Lantern and Stonehill Drive on Dec. 13 at 9:30 a.m.
Dana Hills High School Principal Brad Baker had mixed feelings upon seeing the first of the portables demolished.
“I had a feeling of ‘this is great progress for us as a school and that we are being prioritized to get upgrades,’ ” Baker said. “And at the same time, there’s a little bit of sadness, because I know how many years our teachers and how many students, regardless of their portables and what they looked like, there’s some special moments and a lot of learning and impact that happened in those rooms.”
Ultimately, Baker noted that upgrading facilities so that they are more suitable for 21st century learning will support student learning for years to come.
“We’re a 50-year-old school, and we are in desperate need of modernization and a new school itself,” Baker said. “This building is an exciting moment, I think, for our school’s history, and it’s really the beginning of a rebuild effort for the entire site, for the future.”
“It’s a fantastic first step and first upgrade of our overall master plan to rebuild Dana Hills High School,” Baker added.
Over the past six years, Baker explained that the school has worked closely with district staff to form a master plan that includes a “full rebuild and then a demo of the original building.”
“That takes quite a bit of investment from the community,” Baker said. “However, this is the first building of that overall plan that we’re able to get, thanks to funding and leveraging by the district for state matching funds.”
Dana Hills High School intends to host a groundbreaking ceremony on Dec. 13 at 9:30 a.m. to celebrate the upcoming construction of a new two-story classroom building on the corner of Golden Lantern and Stonehill Drive. Renderings: Courtesy of Dana Hills High School
Funds to demolish the 17 portable classroom buildings and construct the new two-story classroom project came from State Proposition 51 Matching Funds and was approved by the school district’s Board of Trustees through a single vote on routine items during an Oct. 18 meeting.
Baker noted that funds from this project are not coming from bonds.
“I really believe that when the community sees a project like this—which, again, is state matching grants for other construction projects that happened in our school district–I think, when they see what a modern school could look like, they may want to get behind an effort to continue that progress to give our students and teachers the very best facilities so that they can grow and learn together,” Baker said.
Dana Hills’s deteriorating 50-year-old building faces heating, ventilation and air conditioning, electrical, and foundational issues.
Baker explained that without securing a bond measure, the process to remodel the entire school and follow through with the master plan will be a slow, piecemeal approach.
“It would take some type of community investment to make that happen in a timely manner,” Baker said.
Having worked on the design of the new 14-classroom building for three years now, Baker said it’s been “incredible to be a part of such a project.”
“Working with our district staff and the architect, design team, they did a great job of putting together a team, staff and student and community team to get feedback about the needs and wants for this project, so the design would match the community and culture that we have at Dana Hills High School,” he said.
The two-story classroom building will have “lots of windows to take in the beautiful Dana Point sunlight,” Baker said.
“The roof has a unique shape to it that almost looks like a pitch of a wave, which is fun,” Baker said. “Very much like our environment with the oceanfront school.”
“We’ll have some brand-new furniture and audiovisual (equipment),” Baker continued. “That furniture will be able to be flexible, so teachers have the ability to get students quickly into small groups for academic discussions and for Socratic seminars.”
Baker added that the new building will have a new HVAC system, upgraded security and high ceilings with drop lights.
“It’s got that cool, modern look to it,” Baker said. “I’m really pleased with even the colors that were chosen by the committee. So, I’m just looking forward to seeing it become a reality.”
“It took years of planning and listening to our teachers and our students and our community and relying on the expertise of architects and our district expertise,” Baker continued. “I think it’s really a community project, and it will reflect that.”
The new 14-classroom building is estimated to open in June 2025, Baker said. In the meantime, Baker said he hopes that community members who come out to the groundbreaking ceremony on Dec. 13 will be inspired to invest in the rebuild and modernization of the Dana Hills High campus.
“It should be quite an event for our school,” Baker said. “We haven’t had anything new built on this campus for 15 to 20 years. So, this is a sign of progression and movement to a new upgraded facility that’s desperately needed.”