By Sara Ballenger

The Parent Teacher Association (PTA) at Egan School is thinking about the school’s remodeling process, brick by brick. The PTA is selling commemorative bricks to past, present and future students and families of Egan. The bricks cost $100 and people can have whatever they like engraved on them.

The PTA hopes to raise the necessary funds to spruce up the school in ways that are not covered by the recent bond issue.

“Los Altos passed a bond issue hoping to rebuild the elementary and junior highs. The bids were substantial and were more money than was allocated to Egan,” said Dee Gibson, PTA co-president.

Since the initial bid was overbudget for Egan, the PTA decided to take the locker rooms, multipurpose room and music room off of the list of areas to be renovated and second bids were made.

“The bids were higher the second time, even with things taken out. So the PTA is in charge of projects like the landscaping and remodeling the bathrooms. We are fund raising to help pay for some of these projects,” Gibson said.

One of the first remodeling projects Egan Principal, Brenda Dyckman wanted the PTA to pursue was the patio area where students eat lunch, Gibson said.

“I thought it was the perfect use for bricks,” Gibson said.

The PTA began selling bricks this spring. Approximately 50 bricks have been sold so far.

“In Los Altos, a lot of parents went to Egan, and now their children go to Egan. They can have a family brick and be a part of the Egan landscape,” Gibson said.

Pat Chay, an employee at the Egan library, has purchased a brick for her family.

“I think it’s a great idea for my family. My husband and both my son and my daughter graduated from Egan,” Chay said.

Chay’s brick reads: “Tom Chay 1964; Marilyn 1993; and Joe 2000.”

“It’s a nice school and I’m sorry I didn’t graduate from there,” she said.

The bricks will be installed throughout campus once enough have been ordered for a large installation.

“By the early end of fall, we’ll have developed a landscape plan to use all of them and have them in place,” Gibson said

Gibson hopes students and faculty can move back into the new school in November and have a grand opening.

“I don’t want people to walk into an institutional building. I want people to walk in and say, ‘Isn’t this lovely? Sombody cared,’” Gibson said.

For questions about the fund-raiser, call Gibson at 948-0518. Order forms for bricks may be picked up in the Egan School office at 100 West Portola Ave.