Here's an early look inside the new Lansing Eastern High School

Mark Johnson
Lansing State Journal

LANSING — The back-to-school countdown is at single digits and the new Lansing Eastern High School is ready to welcome students and staff leaving the old building after nearly a century.

Eastern opened in the fall of 1928 and stayed open for 91 years. This year, the school moves from the North Pennsylvania Avenue building, which had been the district's oldest, to the district's newest building, the former home of Pattengill Academy on Marshall Street.

Eastern's new home first opened in 2007 as Pattengill Middle School, newly constructed for $35 million. The district spent another $14 million to transform the structure into a modern high school with updated technology and furniture, new biochemistry labs, a new practice gym and more.

“This is a dynamic, 21st century learning environment,” said Mark Coscarella, Lansing School District deputy superintendent. “It’s modern, it’s clean, it’s up to date.”

There’s still work to be done ahead of the first day of school Monday – cardboard boxes, chairs and other items sat in classrooms and gymnasiums waiting to be unpacked. Workers installed equipment and walked the school finishing tasks Wednesday.

But the school will be ready for students’ arrival.

“It’s going to be emotional,” Coscarella said. “We’re moving from historic Eastern, which has a lot of sentiment and is a great school, to a brand-new school for our kids. And what a wonderful opportunity it is.”

Sparrow Health System bought the North Pennsylvania Avenue property that housed the old Eastern High School – or the “historic” Eastern High School as Coscarella corrected – in 2016 for nearly $2.5 million, prompting the move. The school district continued using the building through this year.

A rear entrance at the new Lansing Eastern High School.   The building formerly housed Pattengill Middle School.  The school opens Monday, Aug. 26.

While an estimated 1,250 students stream through the hallways next week, work will continue to complete the Eastern Fields project. It will feature a new stadium for football, soccer and track and field, as well as baseball and softball fields, tennis courts and additional parking.

The Pathway Promise brought specific focuses to each school, including a biotechnology concentration at Eastern. The $120-million bond voters approved in 2016 led to the upgrades and elsewhere in the district. The bond issue passed four months after the district sold the 18-acre site to Sparrow.

Pattengill Academy closed in mid-2019 as renovations began to transform it into Eastern High School’s new home.

The $16.3 million Pattengill Biotechnical Magnet School became the district’s first major project funded by the millage to be completed and unveiled last fall. It opened inside the former Fairview Elementary School and included renovations to a dining area, gym, locker rooms and fitness space.

The public can tour the former Eastern high school at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. At 6:30 p.m., Superintendent Yvonne Caamal Canul will lead a walk from the historic building to the new building for remarks, ribbon cutting and tours.

Stay informed on the latest education news. Subscribe to the Lansing State Journal. See current offers at LSJ.com/subscribe.

Contact Mark Johnson at 517-377-1026 or at majohnson2@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByMarkJohnson.