St. Paul's Academy Build High School

            St. Paul’s Academy is building a new high school across the street from their current location in the Birchwood Neighborhood on Northwest Ave.  The high school is over half completed and is on its way to opening for student use and the graduation ceremony for the class of 2011.

            The new building will be used for grades 5-12 and the current building will continue being used for K-4.  Currently 60 students are being housed in four portables behind the main school as they wait for the high school to be completed.

            According to Robin Frank, the Associate Head of School, the upper school is about 62% completed and the completed project will cost $13 million.  The money for the project came from a loan that the private school took out, along with numerous donations from parents, grandparents and the community.

            “We’re very excited about this,” said Marianne Johnson, the school secretary, “We’ve been waiting for this for five or six years.”

            The high school will not be open for students to use this school year, but the administration is working to get a conditional use permit so that the first graduating class of the academy may use the building for their graduation ceremony on June 10, 2011.  There will be three students receiving their diploma from St. Paul’s.

            Cody Purcell, 17, is one of the three seniors graduating this June.  Purcell has been a student at the academy since he was in 6^th grade.  He was in the first 9^th grade class the school had and stayed with the academy through his high school career.

            “I wish it would have happened sooner,” Purcell said about the new high school building.

Purcell remembered hearing about the larger high school building when he was in 9^th grade and they were preparing the lot for construction.  However, the production of the building wasn’t able to begin until March 2010.

            The upper school building will add 14 standard classrooms to the academy along with multiple labs for biology, physics, chemistry, art and music.  It will feature a chapel that can seat up to 100 people, a main commons area and a performance platform.  The new building will also provide a full-sized high school gym with bleacher seating for 225 people and locker rooms for the students.

            At this time, St. Paul’s Academy has 243 students, but will be able to enroll up to 500 students once the upper school is complete.  To apply to the academy, students must take an assessment test and complete an interview to make sure that the student and school are a good fit for each other.

            Both Frank and Johnson agree that there’s certainly a need in Bellingham for a private high school.

Neighborhood Bookstore Relocates

            Locally owned Cozy Corner Books & Coffee reopened its new doors Wednesday, Jan. 19 in the Birchwood Neighborhood.  The shop sells new and used books and offers a variety of espresso drinks, drip coffee, hot chocolate, cider and teas.

            Cozy Corner closed its former doors on the corner of Cedarwood Ave. and Birchwood Ave. to move to a larger building down the street on Northwest Ave.  The neighborhood-supported book and coffee shop was purchased by current owner, Chris Callow, as of Jan. 1.

According to Callow, the shop had been in business for more than 20 years before he became the new owner.  The lease of the former site was up as of the end of 2010 and Callow made the decision to take all the former employees from the former store and find a new location nearby in a strip mall in the same neighborhood.

            “I felt like the old location maxed out its potential,” Callow said.

            Callow took the opportunity to move to a larger shop that would be able to accommodate more customers.  Not only are there more places for customers to sit and enjoy what the shop has to offer, the store is on ground level and has wide enough aisles to accommodate wheelchairs.

            Callow’s wife, Cindy Callow is the one responsible for the decorations throughout the store.  Family friend Jeff Stover helped construct all the home-made wooden book shelves.  Stover also helped set the store up to follow Cindy Callow’s design plans.

            The name Cozy Corner was key to the atmosphere for the store, said Chris Callow.  The store is laid out to provide ample space for customers to enjoy beverages and books whether that’s studying at a table or relaxing by the fireplace.

The local shop uses a used book credit system.  Customers can trade books in for a dollar trade credit and later apply their credits toward up to 50 percent of the books they purchase.

Cozy Corner will also begin selling a small number of new books; thanks to the help of the Callow’s daughter who donated books she had leftover from her online store.

Chris Callow said the store attracts all ages of customers, from teenagers to those who are retired.  There’s a growing children’s section near the front of the store.

Joan Halldorson and her husband, Erick Halldorson, have been visiting Cozy Corner for almost 17 years and are impressed with the new location.

“There are a lot of readers in this neighborhood,” said Joan Halldorson, “I think a store like this helps keep the community together.”

“I like the mochas,” said Erick Halldorson with a chuckle.

Chris Callow just hopes that he can provide residents with a good place to read a book and relax.

“It’s an inexpensive hobby; One that can take you around the world in your imagination,” said Chris Callow, “Read.  Relax.  Dream.”

Store Hours:

Monday – 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday – 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday – 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Thursday – 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Friday – 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Saturday – 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Sunday – 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.