TMCnet News
Students marvel at Bristow Elementary School's amenitiesAug 11, 2010 (Daily News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- When driving past Bristow Elementary School, it's difficult to notice a difference. The old school still sits near the road, blocking a new, state-of-the-art building from view. But students and faculty are adjusting to changes as they settle into the new school. The 81,000-square-foot building opened to students more than a week ago, offering more room, better technology and new amenities. "Their little eyes just lit up when they walked in," said Gina Lynn Word, a kindergarten teacher from Smiths Grove. "This community deserves something like this." The $12.8 million building is designed to be net-zero -- producing more clean energy than it uses. School officials are waiting for a grant to install solar panels in the building, which will make it net-zero. Warren County Public Schools received $1.5 million in stimulus funds to install solar panels at Richardsville Elementary School, which is slated to be the nation's first net-zero school. Bristow Elementary already is layered with solar tubes and ceiling prisms, which help naturally energize the building with sunlight. It also has geothermal piping, which uses water to heat and cool the building, eliminating the need for boilers and furnaces. It's a big step up from the former building. The oldest section of that school was built in the 1940s. It's a one-story building that lacked certain technological capabilities and was cramped. "We just didn't have any room over there at all," said Anita Proffitt, a second-grade teacher from Alvaton. "So it's exciting." The new school has two floors with a winding staircase in the center of the building and tall ceilings. The cafeteria and gymnasium is bigger and shinier, with four basketball goals. It holds up to 750 students -- 580 are enrolled. "This is night and day," Principal Kim Wolfram said. "I feel like that (old school) was a cave and this is a grand hotel." The old building will be demolished -- that building sits on top of the new school's future parking lot, Wolfram said. Furniture must be removed from the old building and auctioned. Workers will then remove asbestos from that building, and it should be handed over to demolition crews in September, she said. Secretary Betty Stroube has worked at Bristow Elementary School for more than 40 years. The school has changed over the years, but the new building is by far the biggest shift, she said. "It's wonderful. Everything's modern and nice, and everything's working -- that's a plus, it is," she said. "Everybody loves it. Everybody says it's so pretty." For students, the building is a monstrosity compared to their former building. When they entered it for the first time Aug. 3, students were impressed by the smallest differences. "My favorite part's the classes, especially the desks. The way they're shaped, they're shaped like triangles almost," said Caitlin McIntyre, a sixth-grader from Bowling Green. "When I walked in it was so huge and so neat and awesome. I was like, 'Oh my gosh.' " One of the biggest improvements is the new school's technology. Faculty and students will have access to iPod Touch carts, laptop carts and, in the future, iPads. Teachers have active boards in every classroom, Mac Mini computers and new work stations. "That's been huge for the teachers," Wolfram said. "I think the biggest thing here is the wireless capacity -- everything is wireless. That enables us to take technology anywhere we need to in the building." It's been a hectic couple of weeks for teachers and staff members as they scrambled to prepare their classes for the first day of school. Officials were unsure whether they would be able to move into the new building before school started on Aug. 3. They received a certificate of occupancy about a week before classes began. "We all worked together as a team," Word said, adding she was afraid the school would not open on time. "We were very scared, but it was well worth the rush." To see more of the Daily News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.bgdailynews.com. Copyright (c) 2010, Daily News, Bowling Green, Ky. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544). |