The Whitefish High School expansion project will begin the week of March 23, over spring break.  

The $26.5 million academic and $6.1 million athletic expansion projects are scheduled to be completed in fall 2027.  

Bidding – finalized the first week of March – was a generally positive experience and on par with the budget, with good interest from subcontractors and suppliers in the community, said Ryan Dunn with Martel Construction at a community meeting last week.  

During construction, access to the front entrance will remain the same via the sidewalk, but the roundabout will be blocked off. Drop-off parking will shift to Pine Avenue and Fourth Streets, while visitor and ADA parking will be on Pine Avenue.  

Additional details will come as the project develops in phases.   

“Our construction documents show the existing condition and the final condition,” said Luke Hamman, the owners' representative. “It tells the beginning and the end of the story, but it doesn’t tell what it looks like along the way.”  

A phased project will help break that down, he said, helping the students and staff to cohabitate with construction as the project evolves.  

“These guys are good at recognizing that school is in session,” Principal Kerry Drown said. “We need to navigate, go to classes... all of that’s taken into consideration, to do it in the least disruptive manner.”  

Hamman said that safety and security parameters will “go above and beyond.”  

There could be up to about 100 workers on site during the peak summer build times.  

Workers will go through a couple of levels of background checks, both with Martel Construction and the school district. After completing both levels, workers will receive a sticker to put on their hardhat so community members know they’ve been approved. 

The first academic phase is scheduled first because it requires the most work. An aggressive schedule will be required to make its fall 2027 completion date, Hamman said.  

First phase construction begins March 23 with the demolition of the gym foyer. Everything to the west of the gym walls will come down, including the concession stand and pottery room. The gymnasium, black box, and music room will remain in place. 

The area being demolished was preserved to save money in the high school’s 2012 build, so it dates back to remodels from 50 years ago, after a 1977 arson fire.  

In the area’s place will rise a two-story academic area. Inside will be the “Bulldog Boulevard,” which will look to emphasize connectivity, both physically and conceptually through more open, identity-building design elements.  

Just one example of the school’s adaptability is that pottery students will pick up more transportable, creative assignments like jewelry making while their classroom is under construction.  

The second academic phase starting summer 2026 is the CTE (career technical education) area. The expansion will extend beyond the existing shop, and will include an outside area, to create separate learning areas for different trades.  

Drown said that the CTE expansion is critical. He described it as training ground for local businesses that will open opportunities for students entering the workforce straight out of high school. He said that they are already exploring how they will expand new programs with the new space.  

A third academic phase starting in spring 2027 will focus on classrooms by the Independent High School area.  

The athletic phase is scheduled to begin April 6 after the annual Whitefish A.R.M. Invite. The track and field meet is typically hosted later in April, but through coordination with other schools it was able to move earlier in the month. Thereafter, Whitefish track and field athletes will say goodbye to the old track and occasionally practice at Columbia Falls.  

Construction in the athletic area will be on a tight schedule, per an exact time in the fall when weather will be ideal to lay down the new track surface. The new track will shift slightly north to fully use all field space.  

In addition to the track, there will be a new football field, plus a field building with ticketing, concessions and restrooms, and 1,500-seat grandstands with storage underneath.  

Workers will look to overturn a new practice field quickly to equip football players for practice by fall. Football games will still be played at Memorial Field for the 2026 season.  

Both academic and athletic projects will be complete as laid out by the bond, but there are opportunities for donors to contribute to above-and-beyond enhancements.  

In preparation for construction, National Honor Society students are volunteering to knock on doors close to the high school, to provide in person updates to neighbors.  

Updates will be posted at whitefishschools.org under the “WHS Expansion Information” tab.  

Community members can also sign up for email updates by emailing [email protected] with the subject line “OPT IN”. 

Editor Kelsey Evans can be reached at 406-862-3505 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at whitefishpilot.com/support.

    Phases of the Whitefish High School expansion projects.
  

    Spring 2026 access map for Whitefish High School during expansion project.
  

    A rendering of the trade classrooms expansion at Whitefish High School.
  

    A preliminary rendering of the Whitefish High School academic expansion, showing the "Bulldog Boulevard." (A&E Design)
  

    A snapshot of the building to be constructed as an entryway to the new athletic fields at Whitefish High School. (A&E Design)