As students and staff at Viewlands Elementary go about their daily routines, the reality of school closures is sinking in.

"It's starting to get a little sad around here because people are realizing that we are doing things for the last time," said Joanne Bowers, Viewlands' principal.

Along with six other schools, the Seattle School Board voted last fall to close Viewlands, citing low enrollment and poor facility condition. Viewlands will merge with nearby Broadview-Thomson this fall to become a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school.

Viewlands pre-school program will go to Whittier Elementary.

The transition process so far has gone "very smoothly," said Bowers, but it's speckled with moments of sadness.

Some of Viewlands' staff has been at the school for 15 or more years, so leaving the close-knit environment will be difficult for them, Bowers said.

"We all have a journey ahead of us and those are the things that make us stronger as we grow, but it's going to be sad," said Bowers, who will take over as principal of North Beach Elementary this fall.

About 90 percent of Viewlands' staff is transferring to Broadview-Thomson and some took other positions in the district. About 135 of the school's 180 students will attend Broadview-Thomson this fall.

David Tucker, a spokesperson for the district, said teachers and other staff members seem "comfortable" with the upcoming merger.

"The process is going very well, especially with the plans they (the principals) have put in place," Tucker said.

The two schools began working toward a transition plan last summer, even before the School Board had approved the merger.

Broadview-Thomson's principal, Jeanne Smart, visits Viewlands often and the parent teacher associations have been working jointly. Several events have been planned to help the students at both schools get to know one another.

"It's been a proactive approach," said Bowers. "It could have been ugly and it wasn't. It's as good a transition as you could hope for."

Students are working together on projects like designing a new school T-shirt around a shared school vision.

"We're doing all sorts of things to help the kids get to know each other," said Smart. "You know, we're from the same neighborhood."

Many have been concerned with how Broadview-Thomson would absorb Viewlands' Autism All Inclusion Program, which joins students without disabilities in the same classroom as students with the Autism Spectrum Disorder.

To prepare her staff, Smart employed the help of an Autism expert at the University of Washington. Teachers are cross training on the Spectrum Disorder and have several times observed Viewlands' classes.

"We're ready for that," said Smart. "Our assumption is that we can do well."

Broadview-Thomson will phase in middle school grades over the next three school years, starting with the sixth-grade this fall.

Smart projects the school's enrollment to be around 640 students with the addition of the sixth-grade program and Viewlands' students. The number of Viewlands' teachers coming to Broadview should offset that increase, Smart said.

She expects to have an average of three to four teachers at each grade level and class size to be around 22 to 25 students. The district average is 26 to 28 students per classroom for elementary and middle schools.

Smart said she prefers running larger schools and has had experience doing so working in the Edmonds School District where she ran a school with more than 800 students.

"I like a big school," Smart said. "More people means more ideas and more perspectives and more diversity. They have the right person for this."

Bowers, too, said she's confident Smart will continue as an excellent principal for the incoming students.

"She really cares about kids and she has an incredible brain..." Bowers said. "I couldn't ask for anyone better to take care of my babies."

But one big question looms; what will be done with the Viewlands building after the desks are hauled away and students no longer roam the halls?

The district has recommended it be kept for future use because enrollment is projected to increase in the north end of the city. But it could be 25 years before the facility is used to house another school program.

The hope is that it's preserved for community use and doesn't sit empty to become a magnet for crime and graffiti, said Bowers.

In the meantime, an end of the year farewell celebration is being planned for mid-June around the student-chosen theme of "make new friends but keep the old." There will be a short "serious" ceremony, humorous stories from alumni and displays of the school's history since it opened in 1954.

The event will be a celebration of the Viewlands spirit and a special time to say goodbye to the school community, said Viewlands parent Lynn Miller.

Miller is looking forward to building a strong school at Broadview-Thomson, but still, it's bitter sweet.

"(Viewlands) closure is a loss for our neighborhood and for our community," she said. "I believe our children will continue to thrive at Broadview. I am looking forward to this new experience, and as we tell our children, making new friends."

Rebekah Schilperoort may be reached at 783.1244 or rebekahs@robinsonnews.com