As a Stansbury resident, let me be the first to shout hooray for the new Stansbury High School being built. The school will provide a focal point for the community and be so much easier on everyone who lives there.

No longer will the 15-minute commute to Grantsville High School plague the teenagers of Stansbury Park and their dutiful parents. If an English paper was forgotten, you couldn't run down the street to retrieve it. If you had a practice for the school play later that night, you might have ended up making four trips down SR-138. If you missed the bus, Mom had to go a half-hour out of her way to get you to school.

And the route from Stansbury to Grantsville isn't all that scenic either -- particularly after the 10,000 round trip.

Plus, that extra 15 minutes of sleep will be a gift every Stansbury teen will treasure.

Stansbury High will also help with the overpopulation problem at GHS. And it will give Stansbury people new traditions to rally around.

However, as a GHS student, let me be the first to shed a tear for the breakup of Stansbury and Grantsville. Unlikely friendships between the two geographically, culturally and socially different areas have been one of the best parts of attending GHS. The differences we have overcome and the unity we have fostered at GHS have helped all of us to grow.

In seventh grade, when I first went to Grantsville for school, we Stansbury kids huddled together -- a pack of so-called rich kids lost in Cowboy country. Now, as I prepare to graduate, most of my close friends are Grantsville residents.

The class of 2010 and those to follow will be robbed of the opportunity I had to meet different people -- an opportunity that ultimately shaped who I am today.

Grantsville will also be put at a disadvantage as far as sports goes. I am concerned for how my alma mater will hold up when the talent supplied by Stansbury students departs. Plus, Grantsville will be the smallest of the valley's three schools, though GHS athletes seem to relish the role of underdogs.

However, Stansbury will put an exciting new twist on the long-standing Tooele-Grantsville rivalry, giving both schools a new nemesis. Will one school dominate? Who will Grantsville fans cheer for when THS and SHS play?

In the end, the building of Stansbury High School will be a long-awaited boon for residents of that community, but it won't come without a bit of upheaval.

Alyssa Roberts is a senior at Grantsville High School.