WASHINGTON (Map, News) - It was a day of firsts for teachers and administrators and the 1,900 students all over Richard Montgomery High School, which convened classes for the first time Thursday in a brand-new, state-of-the-art, $87 million facility located right next to the old school.

The shift exhausted administrators, who moved boxes during the winter break.

“I barely slept last night,” Principal Moreno Carrasco said. “I was worried about whether or not things were going to go normal. It’s one of those things principals worry about.”

Students got a tour of the building early Thursday before classes began.

“They thought it was like a shopping mall,” said Carrasco, who stood outside with a bullhorn in the early morning cold to welcome students back.

Teacher Nancy Shay on Thursday said it was a “defining moment” when her overhead projector -- a relic of her past life -- would not turn on.

Instead, Shay, the English department head at the Rockville high school, who had dragged the ancient projector with her from the old school to the new one, turned to her classroom’s brand new computer-enhanced “white board.”

On it, she was able to quickly rewrite the quiz she had planned on “Heart of Darkness” and project it for the class to see. Rather than being dismayed, the students were dazzled, Shay said.

“It was nice to know that even an old dog can use new tricks,” Shay said.

Other teachers, including algebra instructor Angela Engelmann, said they welcome the new space. The school has individual wings for each subject, a far cry from the trailer that Engelmann taught out of during her previous years at the old school.

“I definitely feel more connected,” Engelmann said. “It’s nice to not have to go outside. The kids mentioned that, too.”

Carrasco said he expects the building, which features the chalk-free white board and surround-sound in all rooms as well as wireless Internet, to streamline instruction and, in turn, improve curriculum.

cmabeus@dcexaminer.com