Teachers at the century-old Lehi High School are holding classes in the commons area and students are eating on the floor during lunch and dodging one another in the halls to get from class to class.

As of Sept. 2, the Pioneers had 2,370 students, making it the most populous high school in the Alpine School District, according to district spokeswoman Rhonda Bromley. The next largest school is Lone Peak, at 2,080. She said she is pleased with the way the Lehi administration has coped with the growth.

"They have done a good job," Bromley said. "They were actually the first ones to go to two lunches last year, dealt with the parking and the physical facility."

The burgeoning school will celebrate its 100th birthday with a kick-off event during homecoming in October. Nine months later, a new high school in Saratoga Springs -- Westlake High School -- will open.

"We wish the new school would have been open a year or two ago, because we are busting at the seams, but nobody knew that it was really going to grow that fast," said LHS Principal Chuck Bearce.

Until the birth of the new school, the school district and administrators have had to juggle space for classes and teaching. There are 20 new teachers this year, 10 new support staff, and two additional portable units to provide 4 more classrooms. There are two lunch periods so the students don't all converge on the cafeteria at the same time. Students share lockers if they have one, and must arrive early if they hope to find a parking stall available for their vehicle (seniors have first choice for parking passes.) In the last few years, the school has grown by 200 or more students. There was an increase of 200-300 students in August, according to the roll.

"We had on record one time 2,400 [students] but it's going to settle in about 2,300 unless we start selling more homes," Bearce said.

He said he figures by August 2009, the total high school population in the Cedar Valley and Lehi area will be 2,500 to 2,600, giving each school approximately 1,275 students for the 2009-2010 school year.

"I think it's a good time to split," Bearce said. "If I were to choose a year knowing what I know now, the time is right to celebrate the centennial and then begin the birth of a new school. I think it is very symbolic in many ways."

Kim Schultz of Eagle Mountain has a daughter who will graduate from Lehi High School in May. She said she thinks in spite of the growth that school faculty and administration are doing a great job.

"Obviously it's overcrowded. The high school wasn't built for as many kids as it has so it's ready to be split in two," she said. "I think just having enough room for all of the students will be beneficial for them."

Susan Vanderhoef has had five children attend Lehi High.

"We've watched it grow and we've seen the changes," she said. "I love Lehi High School. I have had people work with us, care about my children. ... I have had teachers, counselors, vice principals listen to me and be aware of my children."

Bearce said support like that is what makes the high school population more manageable. Students reflect an attitude as a whole that their parents have about the changes.

"These are great kids, they come from good, supportive, strong families," he said. "Because of the kind of kids they are, we can handle the size that we are. If you had 2,300 students in some of the other communities in the United States, you might be ready to retire even it was your second year working. But that is not the case here because our students are very, very good."SClBLHS

By the numbers

Students: 2,370

Faculty and staff: 138

Portable units: 11

Lunches: 2