Editorial

It didn’t seem like a good idea two months ago.

After several delays, school officials said they were resolute in

their desire to open the newly constructed Newport Coast Elementary

School this year.

It would be disruptive, we said. It would unnecessarily displace

students from the comfort of their Lincoln Elementary classrooms and move

them, with only a couple months left in the year.

Why the rush, we asked?

We got our answer over the last week.

As the 300-plus pupils streamed onto their new campus, it was clear

the wait and the disruption were worth it.

“We made it,” said Danielle Abel, 9, as she ran off the bus and onto

the campus for the first time.

And Principal Monique Van Zeebroeck could hardly contain herself as

she watched her charges scamper into their new surroundings.

With a $17.3-million campus that features the latest in technology,

there’s lots to be happy about.

In contrast to the rest of the schools in the Newport-Mesa Unified

School District that anxiously await the money from the $110-million bond measure passed last year, Newport Coast has a plethora of amenities to

offer.

There are new computers, self-flushing bathrooms with motion sensors,

a digital chalkboard, terra cotta tiles on the roof and elegant palm

trees and plants.

In addition, the school has been built with energy-efficient

technology. It is well lighted with sunlight, and the insulation placed

throughout the campus will keep costs down.

To boot, there is already a strong PTA that has raised $100,000.

It’s not often that students can say they attended a brand new school.

It isn’t often that teachers and administrators can do the same.

Certainly everyone -- students, teachers, parents, administrators and

the board of trustees -- can beam with pride over this new campus.

We wish them all the best.