Amy Biehl High School Makes Its Home in Downtown Albuquerque
amy biehl high school, college-level courses, education, high school, tom siegel, tony monfiletto,
For generations‚ the handsome red clay‚ tile-roofed building has stood as a witness to Albuquerque’s past. Today‚ the old downtown post office and courthouse is home to the city’s future.
Built in 1908‚ the building at the corner of Fourth and Gold has been brought up to date and re-imagined as Amy Biehl High School – a new kind of school in a treasured historic building.
ABHS (named for a young woman who died in 1993 and was dedicated to social justice) grew from the vision of two teachers‚ Tony Monfiletto and Tom Siegel‚ who dreamed of a school that brought the nonacademic world into the curriculum and students into the world around them. To graduate‚ students would be required to successfully complete two college-level courses and a yearlong service project related to those courses.
“The idea was not esoteric at all‚” says Monfiletto. “We wanted kids to be able to prove they were ready to graduate. It’s real – and in the real world‚ you have to prove what you can do.”
The concept garnered widespread support from the community‚ business leaders‚ educators and government. The 250 open spaces – lottery-chosen – were quickly filled‚ and the school opened in an existing suburban building.
Meanwhile‚ the federal government was looking for an appropriate tenant for the old post office/courthouse building on what was known as Albuquerque’s historic “Banker’s Row.”
A marriage seemed made in heaven. Monfiletto and friends set about proving to the federal government that a school was the right use for the old building‚ rallying “anyone who was a stakeholder in downtown‚” he says.
The campaign worked. In 2004‚ the federal government agreed to a 60-year lease at an annual rent of $100‚ and supporters raised $4 million to renovate the building.
Walls and dropped ceilings were removed‚ a cafeteria added‚ lovely public spaces restored‚ and the facility was fitted with all the high-tech options of a new school.
ABHS became Albuquerque’s first downtown high school in 40 years‚ at a cost of $17‚000 per student – far less than the price of new construction.
In 2006‚ the National Trust for Historic Preservation saluted the combined efforts of the school‚ the New Mexico State Historic Preservation Office and the U.S. General Services Administration with one of only 21 National Trust/Advisory Council for Historic Preservation Federal Partnerships in Historic Preservation Award.
“We were thrilled‚” Monfiletto says. “It has meant a lot to the school community‚ to have someone outside demonstrate the value of the school.”
He credits the school’s success to the students themselves and to very active‚ day-to-day support from a “resourceful and high-visibility” board that includes community and business leaders.
“There is tremendous support out there for public schools‚” he says. “People want them to succeed and they want to support people like us who are willing to take a risk and do something innovative.”
Story by Laura Hill
Photo by Michael W. Bunch
