Duval County Public Schools Celebrates the Opening of
First Green School
Jacksonville, Fla. - Duval County Public Schools today marked the official opening of Westview K-8, #274, 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 will open for 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.
Duval County Public Schools operates 166 schools and serves approximately 123,000 students. The school district is committed to providing high quality educational opportunities that will inspire all students to acquire and use the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in a global economy, and culturally diverse world.
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