With a projected enrollment of 4,200 students next year, Fontana High School is likely to become California’s 15^th largest high school, with a student body larger than the entire population of 446 cities across the Golden State, according to statistics compiled by the state Department of Education and the U.S. Census Bureau.

But thanks to the recent addition of 45,000-square foot Steeler Hall, Fontana High School not only has room to accommodate more students, but an aesthetically pleasing design that gives students a sense of pride in their school and in the work they perform there.

“I think when we talk about money being well spent, we need to look at the attitude it creates among the staff and the students,” said Fontana High School Principal Tom Reasin, adding, “The addition of Steeler Hall has given them a real positive image about their community and their school.”

Designed by Ontario-based HMC Architects, Steeler Hall has also earned praise from a nationally recognized panel of architects and school facility specialists who will showcase Fontana High School in the 2004 edition of Learning By Design, an annual publication produced by Alexandria, Va.-based American School Board Journal that is expected to hit the streets by late April.

“Only six other projects among nearly 88 were singled out for this recognition,” American School Board Journal Publisher Marilee C. Rist said in a letter to HMC Architects, which received a Citation of Excellence Award for its Steeler Hall designs.

Reasin said national recognition of the $7 million facility not only speaks well of Fontana High School’s use of construction funds, but underscores Fontana Unified School District’s commitment to building school facilities that make students feel good about themselves and their school.

“When you’re in a school that’s run down, it has an effect on attitudes,” Reasin said. “But if it looks good, students perform better. And because it looks good, students help maintain it rather than trash it. Fontana High School was built in 1952. But this is one project in particular that shows that the district does care about the students and our school.”

“We are very proud of this structure,” said Dr. Wayne Ruble, a member of the Fontana Unified School District Board of Directors. “It’s outstanding and it looks like a college addition to the campus.”

Mark Schoeman, HMC’s project designer for Steeler Hall, credited Fontana High School and school district officials for looking beyond their basic square footage needs to create an innovative structural design that would be inspiring to students and administrators alike.

But aside from its aesthetic value, Reasin said Steeler Hall has provided much needed space for classrooms, student services and school administration.

“The building itself has provided a tremendous opportunity for us to house needed science and technology related laboratories and instructional rooms that have allowed us expand some of our course offerings, such as our virtual business program,” Reasin said.

The size of the addition – at 45,000-square feet – has also given students and faculty much needed working space. “We are projected to grow to 4,200 students next year. You put that many kids in a restricted space and it can have a negative impact on behavior and discipline. But Steeler Hall enables us to spread the space so we’re not so compacted.”

For more information about Fontana High School, contact principal Tom Reasin at (909) 357-5500 or visit the school’s website at www. http://www.fontana.k12.ca.us/schools/HighSchool/. For more information about HMC Architects, contact Miriam Chung at (909) 989-9979 or visit its website at www.hmcarchitects.com.

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