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| Valley East Will
Be The Home of The First Green School In Northern Ontario |
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| Dena Morrison, Chair of the Rainbow District School Board
came prepared for her tour of Northern Ontario's first GREEN SCHOOL on
July 5, 2007. Trustees of the Board as well as media representatives and
other dignitaries were invited to get a first hand look at some of the
unique features that are being built into Valley View Public School, the
first new school built by the Rainbow Board in over 40 years. Dena brought
her hard hat and brought along her work shoes just in case they would be
needed to walk around the construction site. |
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| The new school will incorporate national Go Green
environmental certification principles. These principles are considered
industry "best practices" for resource consumption, waste
management, building materials, the interior environment and occupant
awareness. It will be barrier-free and will have space for lower class
sizes in the primary grades as well as physical education, instrumental
music, visual arts, computer technology, a library and special education.
When complete the school will also house a daycare and before and after
school programs. |
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| As she addressed the people gathered for the tour, Dena
Morrison stated, "We are proud to say that Valley View Public School
will be a model for sustainable development as a high performance green
school. It will be a flagship school for environmental efficiency and
stewardship. We wanted to create a superior learning environment and an
efficient, durable facility."
In the photo with Ms. Morrison are from her immediate left, Jean
Hanson, Director of Education; Tim James, Architect with Castellan James
& Partners Architects Inc.; and Sandi Ackroyd, Assistant Manager of
Plant with the Rainbow District School Board. Sandi was the tour guide and
brought the party through the front of the building to begin the site
tour. |
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| The new school is being built on the site of the former
building. In September 2007 it will open its doors to a projected 500
students from JK to Grade 8 in a French Immersion program. Val Caron
Public School which previously held JK to Grade 1 will be closed. The
school has a capacity of approximately 600 so there is room to house the
anticipated growth as more and more homes are built in Valley East. |
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| The $15 million project will have many environmental
benefits, including a state of the art radiant floor heating system. In
the photos above you can see the piping entering the concrete flooring.
Below you can see what the piping looks like under the floor's surface. |
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| The architect even designed the building with a north/south
orientation, maximizing windows on the north and south faces of the
building. |
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| In the photo above, Tim James is showing the features of
the windows to the people in the tour. |
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| All were impressed with the structure of the building and
could see how Valley View Public School will certainly draw a lot of
attention from other school boards in the province who desire a similar
Green School setting in the future.
Good acoustics, lighting, thermal comfort and air quality in the 65,000
square foot facility will reduce operating expenses, protect the
environment and improve the health and productivity of students and staff,
while reducing energy consumption.
Morrison pointed out that "The school will serve as a teaching
tool, demonstrating to students and the community that addressing
environmental issues means creating a healthier, more efficient learning
environment." |
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| The staff and trustees on h and took time for a group photo
at the conclusion of the tour. |
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| Work is progressing on the second story of the building. In
the background you can see some of the former building which will be
demolished during the summer. Much of the blocks and bricks from the old
building will be crushed and used as "crusher dust" around the
new facility, thus recycling the old with the new. |
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| Principal of Valley View Public School, Paul Dupont was
also on hand for the tour. |
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| Ruth Ward, on the left, Trustee for the area which includes
Valley View is shown walking carefully around some of the puddles on the
construction site. With her is Diane Cayen-Arnold, Chief Financial Officer
with the Rainbow District School Board. |
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| With opening day on September 5, 2007 creeping closer and
closer, construction crews are working diligently to complete the building
on time. Nicole Charette, Senior Advisor, Corporate Communications and
Strategic Planning, is shown here discussing the progress with Director of
Education, Jean Hanson. |
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| After the tour was completed, both Paul Dupont and Diane
Cayen-Arnold were satisfied that Valley View Public School will indeed
open on time. Diane was also confident that the project will come in on
budget. |
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