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DRAPER— The doors to the new Corner Canyon High School in Draper opened Monday, and portable classrooms were added to accommodate the large number of students.
With state-of-the art science labs, a 3,300-seat gym that meets NCAA standards, a 120-seat lecture hall and a performing arts center, the number of students who registered for classes exceeded the expectations of some.
"A lot of students who were attending charter schools or private schools who live in our boundaries said, ‘I want to go there,'" said Mary Bailey, principal at Corner Canyon High School. "We're happy to have them, and they've come and we've accommodated them, but it was a little more than we thought."
Registration reached 1,300 by the spring of 2012, and when the district allowed students from outside boundaries to receive permits, it grew to 1,600 by January 2013. After that permits were ended, but the student population has now grown to 1,910.
Three portable classrooms, also known as pods, became the solution to the overpopulation problem. They are the same size as regular classrooms that accommodate 35 students.
Some parents said they were concerned about portables and security. In an email, one parent called it outrageous.
"If the concern is ‘someone could someone just walk in,' they could do that in the hallway as well," Bailey said. "They are as secure as any of our other classrooms."
Bailey said the first few days are considered a fluctuation period, and that the final number of students won't be known until at least next week.
