Walking into the high-ceilinged lobby of the bright and shiny new Radnor Middle School in Wayne for the first time yesterday, eighth grader Dan McCone had the reaction that every principal, parent and school board member would hope for.
"The first thought I have is, 'Wow!' " McCone said. "At first I was kind of sad that I had to leave the old building. It was really familiar. But now that I've seen the new one, I'm glad. I just hope I don't get lost."
Several other area school districts are also having their "wow" moments this fall, opening new buildings after years of planning. Among them are Abington and Spring-Ford in Pennsylvania and Burlington Township, Camden, and North Hanover Township in New Jersey.
But the $48 million middle school in Radnor has an unusual feature: plants on the roof that produce oxygen, reduce stormwater runoff, and keep the building's temperature down.
The "green" roof - the first on a public school in the region - is part of the district's promise to create an environmentally friendly building, officials said. Radnor is one of only a few dozen districts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey that have sought certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for their schools' environmentally beneficial features.
Those include geothermal heating and cooling provided by 144 wells sunk 500 feet into the earth, saving fuel. There are recycled materials in carpets, ceiling tiles, counters and tackboards; the lobby floor has recycled glass shards embedded in it, instead of granite chips. Classrooms have heat and motion sensors that turn off lights.
The building's fluorescent bulbs reproduce the colors of natural light, because research shows that students and teachers do better work that way. In each classroom, the carbon dioxide level is monitored, and more fresh air is piped in if it gets too high. Heating and cooling machinery is housed in a closet outside each classroom, making it quieter.
"The end goal - the intent - is not only to be environmentally conscious, but to provide the best, most healthy learning environment for kids," said Leo Bernabei, the district's operations director.
As happy as they are about the building's "green" features, district administrators are even happier that after holding classes for decades in a building that opened in 1923, the district's 850 middle school students and their teachers now have a school designed to match current teaching methods and philosophy.
