BY STEVE POWELL

spowell@marysvilleglobe.com

MARYSVILLE – Marysville-Pilchuck High School’s new food commons does not have it made in the shade.

Its many windows could mean a blinding glare and warm eating area on sunny days.

The school board talked about its options at a work session this week.

The original design called for exterior sunshades. The cost could be as much as almost $222,000.

A new proposal this week provided the option of interior shades, which would cost $20,000.

“That would get rid of the brightness and some of the heat,” said Greg Dennis, facilities supervisor.

Under both scenarios, it is likely air conditioning still would be needed, at a cost of almost $150,000.

“At Grove, with their sunshades, you can break out in a sweat in five minutes,” assistant superintendent Ray Howser said.

School Board Member Bruce Larson said he favored the new proposal, but board president Pete Lundberg said the consensus among the others was to go with the original plan of the sunshades. They will vote on it at an upcoming meeting.

Howser also reminded the board it still needs to come up with local funding of $584,000 for the project. The state is paying the rest of the $7.5 million.

Also at the meeting, technology director Scott Beebe talked about collecting Chromebooks from students as they head out soon for summer break.

“Kids don’t want to give them back,” he said. “They’ve been taken to a depth of learning teachers were not able to do a year ago.”

Beebe said the district will document cosmetic and functional problems with the Chromebooks as they are collected for repairs.

“Anytime you give 6,000 kids machines you’re going to find flaws,” he said.

Later May 23, at the school board meeting, freshman Nathan Weller was honored for receiving the Daniel J. Evans Award for an essay he wrote on the Supreme Court’s McCleary decision, regarding school funding. Three others statewide received similar honors.