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WORDEN, Mont. (AP) Work has begun on a new Huntley Project High School that will replace the one destroyed by an arson fire last year.

Students and staff gathered Friday morning as officials broke ground for what will become a combined junior and senior high school. Voters approved a $9.75 million bond in September to build the 90,000-square-foot building, which could open as soon as the spring of 2011.

Three Huntley Project students have pleaded guilty to criminal charges stemming from the Sept. 18, 2008, blaze, and charges are pending against a fourth. The teens broke into the high school late at night and returned a short time later to start the fire.

About 230 students from Worden, Huntley, Ballantine and Pompeys Pillar attend Huntley Project High. Another 470 children in kindergarten through eighth grade attend school on the same campus.

Information from: Billings Gazette, http://www.billingsgazette.com (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 10-09-09 2233CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list