One section of the commons area features a space where both levels are visible at Caldera High School on Feb. 24, 2021. 

Driving south on SE 15th Street in Bend, the new Caldera High School almost looks complete.

Some aspects of the building are nearly finished, like the gym and many career and technical education classrooms. But others — namely, traditional classroom spaces — still look like an active, dusty construction site.

Kirby Nagelhout Construction Co. crews are still putting the finishing touches on the towering Caldera High School in the southeastern corner of the city. At the same time, Caldera educators also are busy brainstorming what the school’s academic focus and culture will be when students walk through the doors in September.

As of now, school leaders like Principal Chris Boyd plan to emphasize lessons that can be applied to post-graduate life.

“For a number of our students, they go through school wondering, ‘Why am I learning this?’” Boyd said. “We’re going to work really hard to answer that question for students.”

Preparing students for adult world

One way Caldera High School will prioritize real-world learning is through its multitude of career and technical education courses, commonly referred to as CTE.

Not only will Caldera offer courses like woodshop, business and manufacturing — classes already found at other Bend-La Pine high schools — but the school will combine these courses in unique ways, Boyd said. Careers typically require knowing multiple skill sets, he said.

Gavin Meyers — an engineering teacher at Bend High School who’s part of a group of future Caldera teachers shaping the school’s academic goals — said one class would focus on the popular online shop Etsy. Students would make a product in woodshop, then pair with students in a marketing class to sell that product online, Meyers said.

Another proposed class would be intentionally Bend-centric. Students would combine engineering, graphic design and construction lessons to build skis and/or mountain bikes, then test them out at Mt. Bachelor or Phil’s Trail, Meyers said.

“What we’re doing at Caldera is breaking down those walls (between subjects),” he said.

Boyd also plans to have every student participate in an advisory class. Freshmen and sophomores will focus on building connections between students, which will be crucial for a school where many students might be unfamiliar with most of their new classmates, he said.

During junior and senior years, that advisory class will shift focus toward having each student create a senior presentation about post-graduation career plans. Students will have to meet with an adult in that career for the project, Boyd said.

This senior presentation will teach students the adult skills of networking and goal setting, he said.

“How do you develop a plan and execute that plan?” he said. “That’s important for becoming your adult self.”

Building nearing completion

As of late February, Caldera High School is about 70% to 80% complete, said project manager Mike Condon.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down work — because a few construction workers have gotten sick and because outbreaks have periodically shut down factories that deliver needed materials, Condon said.

The construction site also completely shut down for a week this fall, due to poor air conditions caused by wildfire smoke, he said.

But Condon is still happy with the progress his crew has made on Caldera High.

“All things considered, it certainly could’ve been a lot worse,” he said.

These delays will result in construction continuing through mid-September, meaning crews will be putting finishing touches on the final classrooms while students are starting school, Condon said.

Luckily, because Caldera will only host freshmen and sophomores in its first year, the school won’t be at full capacity, so crews can finish the job without disturbing class, he said. If the work is too loud, workers will either put up a temporary wall, or do the work early in the morning or after the school day ends.

“It won’t disrupt any of the learning,” Condon said.

Caldera’s southern wing, comprised of core classrooms and a large library, is the furthest from completion. There are walls and ceilings in place, but it still is very much an active construction site with lots of exposed steel, pipes and insulation.

The central commons hallway, with its Hogwarts-esque high ceiling, is a little more complete. And the northern end of the school — with CTE classrooms, weight and fitness rooms, music rooms and the gym — is nearly complete. It just needs furniture, flooring and the dust cleared. There are even analog clocks installed throughout, although few of them show the correct time yet.