School Zone
Duval County Public Schools Celebrates the Opening of its First Green School
On August 21, 2009, Duval County Public Schools marked the official opening of
Westview K-8, the first "green" school in the
district, with a ribbon cutting ceremony and tours of the school.
Westview K-8 was designed and constructed to meet the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) standards for schools. A green school is a building with a healthy environment that promotes learning while saving
energy, resources and money. Green schools on average save $100,000 per year - enough to hire two new teachers, buy 500 new computers
or purchase 5,000 new textbooks.
"Our goal in establishing the district's first green school was to create an eco-friendly and energy efficient environment for
teaching and learning," said Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Ed Pratt-Dannals. "As educators, we should be at the forefront
of teaching students about water and energy conservation and the importance of taking care of our environment."
The school was constructed with many green features, including the use of recycled content materials for design and construction;
installation of reflective roofing materials; water savings with high-efficiency low-flow faucets and toilets; installation of
occupancy light sensors in classrooms to conserve electricity; the extensive use of natural lighting whenever possible; and several
other energy saving technologies.
Additionally, the school will be used as a teaching tool that integrates "green" elements into the curriculum. Several active
display panels will provide students with the school's daily energy usage, and gardens located near the playgrounds at the end of each
wing will teach students about plants and nature.
Duval County Public Schools also partnered with the St. Johns River Water Management District and the Northeast Chapter of the U.S.
Green Building Coalition (USGBC) in the development of the new school. Water management district education staff assisted with the
development of a "green" curricula outline and trained all of Westview's incoming teachers on its educational programs, including The
Great Water OdysseySM and Project WET (Water Education for Teachers).
"Our students and staff are excited about attending a beautiful new school with such a modern and environmentally friendly
atmosphere," said Principal Michele Floyd-Hatcher. "Westview is proud to be a green school, and we are anxious to begin incorporating
its green components into our curriculum to teach students how they can be more conscientious about saving the planet."
Westview is located at 5270 Connie Jean Road on Jacksonville's Westside. Offering K-8 instruction, the school will be able to
accommodate more than 1,450 students. It opened the 2009-2010 school year with students in grades kindergarten through sixth, and will
add a grade level each year.
Duval County Public Schools, Ajax Building Corporation and JSA Architects Interiors Planners with Perkins and Will Architects
constructed the $35 million, 171,000 square foot facility, which will accommodate students from Gregory Drive and Normandy Village
elementary schools and Enterprise Learning Academy. The school offers a full track and football/soccer field, three kindergarten play
yards, an indoor gym, two art labs, three science labs, and state-of-the-art band and chorus rooms. Additionally, Westview has 180
stations for Exceptional Student Education (ESE) students.
The school's colors are waterblue and apple green, and the mighty bronco will serve as its mascot.
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