South Lake High School grand opening Thursday

Barbara Moore's students don't always feel like the first priority for Seattle Public Schools.

Students suspended or expelled from other schools, teenage parents and students who simply prefer a smaller school make up the enrollment at South Lake High School, where Moore is principal.

But students and staff at South Lake, the city's only alternative-high school for at-risk teens, will see a fresh investment in them when they walk through the doors of a new building on the first day of school.

"For alternative schools in general, they're not the primary focus," Moore said. "We're so used to not having the best, and here we walk into a brand-new building."

South Lake High School has spent the past two years in West Seattle while its new location was under construction. The $14.4 million project was paid for by a levy approved in 2001. The old school was built in the 1970s as an open-concept building, meaning classrooms had no walls.

The new South Lake building has a nursery and day-care service for students with children, along with the GRADS program (Graduation, Reality and Dual-role Skills), which students attend like a regular class to learn how to take care of their children and manage life as young parents. The school is partnering with Rainier Beach High School so students there can attend GRADS as well.

The new school also includes adjoining classrooms so teachers can team teach, two new science labs, a large art room and contained classrooms designed like apartments for developmentally disabled students, and all rooms are large enough so students will have plenty of personal space, Moore said.

The only other similar school, John Marshall Alternative High School near Green Lake, closed at the end of the last school year after months of controversy. An outside evaluation said the school was failing its mission, and the district paid the former principal to resign.

The 12 students leaving John Marshall's alternative program were given a choice, although not guaranteed, of where they would attend this year; some will attend South Lake. As of Friday, 156 students had enrolled at South Lake, which has a capacity of 200.

The school will host a grand opening Thursday. Moore expects students to be excited not only about the new facility but also the message it sends.

"It says we believe in you," Moore said. "Just because you were not successful in other areas ... doesn't mean we think less of you."