 When schools, community
members, and businesses
truly work together, the possibilities
are endless. For proof,
one needs to look no further
than the newly renovated
auditorium at West High
School. This facility exemplifies
collaboration at its best!
The auditorium was
originally built in 1954 and
dedicated in November 1955.
Over the years it has hosted
an impressive line of performers.
From the Chicago symphony
to the Grateful Dead,
from Garrison Keillor’s “Prairie
Home Companion Radio Show” to the
Peking Acrobats, thousands have been
entertained at this historic Anchorage
landmark.
The restoration project began years
ago, when the proud and passionate West
High Alumni Association decided to raise
funds for new seats at the auditorium. This
quickly evolved into a complete renovation
campaign, and a restoration committee
was formed. The alumni association
donated the initial funding, and the collaborative
opportunities snowballed from
there. The ASD administration, facilities
staff, and West High students, parents
and staff quickly jumped on board by
managing construction and providing
necessary resources to the committee.
The Rasmuson Foundation, the Alaska
Legislature, the Atwood Foundation,
George Suddock, Alaska National
Insurance, Municipality of Anchorage, and
First National Bank Alaska all gave generous
contributions and advice to the project.
West High’s school business partner,
Totem Ocean Trailer Express, provided
transportation for the new auditorium seating,
free of charge. There were numerous
other donors. The committee sponsored
a successful fundraising campaign by
selling seat sponsorships and prints of
the restored Sydney Laurence painting,
“Arctic King”, which hung on the west wall
for decades. (The original is now in the
Anchorage Museum.) They also hosted
the West Prom in which alumni and other
supporters had a chance to bid on renovated
auditorium seats done by local artists.
The Anchorage School Board restored
the original “Anchorage High School
Auditorium” name to the facility in June
2007, and on February 1, 2008 the
auditorium was formally rededicated.
Superintendent Carol Comeau said the
ceremony was wonderful, adding that,
“The key participants led an emotional
evening filled with music, song, dance,
and a 50-year retrospective of the auditorium’s
place in Anchorage’s history.” |
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This year’s Superintendent’s Star
Award goes to the Anchorage High
School Auditorium at West Restoration
Committee. Superintendent Comeau has
expressed her gratitude and thanks to the
members of the committee, along with
many others who supported this project,
for their role in revitalizing this priceless
piece of Anchorage’s history.
Many thanks to everyone who made
the restoration possible, and special
congratulations to the Auditorium
Restoration Committee: Judy Bockman,
Mike Boots, Gretchen Cuddy, Ed
Hendrickson, Jim Kubitz, Tammie Smith,
and Susan Sullivan. Anchorage can
now enjoy another 50 years of priceless
entertainment at this historic landmark!
West High School Auditorium
Photo by Mike Dinneen |
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