Post by doctorwho on Jun 21, 2010 12:14:09 GMT -6
Has anyone checked lately to see if IPSD 204's PR guy is now not named Justin ?
And where does he get these numbers -- there are 635 Sophs and 581 freshman there 1216 not 1500 and there aren't 800 moving in to make 2300--what a load of crap
there are 317 Hill and 254 Granger 8th graders ( and not 100% of them will go to Metea - that difference will be made up by Owen West -- so they are 500 students short of the 2300 being printed. I can't believe they can continue to print total bullcrap....
------------------------
www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=388755&src=76
Dist. 204 officials say they couldn't be happier with Metea Valley's first year
By Justin Kmitch | Daily Herald StaffContact writer The 87-acre site will house about 2,300 freshman through juniors when classes resume in August.
( no they won't do the math - they are 500 kids short ! )
! Much like a new home - except for the fact it houses 3,000 teenagers - Metea Valley High School has experienced the usual drywall cracks and foundation settling since it opened last August.
But officials in Indian Prairie Unit District 204 say they couldn't be happier with the year-old Aurora facility as they prepare to welcome the Class of 2014 this fall.
"Construction is 100 percent complete and we are now waiting on some punch-list items and some warranty items that have been identified since we occupied the building last August," said Todd DePaul, director of building operations. "It's like buying a new house. As you go through that whole process, there's some cracks in the drywall and building settling, but nothing unusual. We're very pleased, especially considering it all came together in 15 months."
Voters in 2006 approved $124.6 million of the $144.2 million necessary to build the district's third high school, which would have allowed the district to begin construction in late 2006 or early 2007. However, the district was unable to negotiate a price to buy the original site - the Brach-Brodie property near Route 59 and 75th Street. The purchase fell through, leaving district officials scrambling for a site before settling on the current location at 1801 N. Eola Road in April 2008.
Construction began almost immediately to have the building ready for freshmen and sophomores in August 2009. Worked continued into the school year on the junior and senior wings, the auditorium and the pool.
Principal Jim Schmid said he is enjoying the lack of construction noise and traffic that consumed his school last summer.
"It's nice to be done and able to focus all of our attention on teaching kids," Schmid said. "Sure the building lends itself to allowing our students to have great experiences, but it's nice to be able to focus all in one place."
The district also is looking forward to reaping the rewards of its energy management plan for the 465,000-square-foot building. DePaul said the building uses demand-control ventilation, which mixes the appropriate amount of outside air depending on the occupancy of the gymnasium and auditorium; energy recovery wheels on the rooftop HVAC units; and high-efficiency boilers.
Parking lots have rain gardens and the retention and detention ponds have plantings for aquatic vegetation that filter stormwater pollutants before they enter the stormwater systems.
"There was certainly a cost up front for all these items, but as you look at the payback over two to five years you get your money back," DePaul said. "We're saving money and the environment, and I think that's a great lesson for the kids to see as well."
There's a lot more that students and staff are seeing every day, thanks to the high percentage of glass windows in the classrooms and common areas.
"We have glass to bring the natural light in and it keeps costs down as well," DePaul said. "A lot of those areas have light sensors that will also turn off the lights in those hallways when the natural lighting does the trick."
Superintendent Kathryn Birkett said she believes the natural lighting may be the most important design feature in the whole building.
"As a former high school principal, I'll tell you, for me it's the light. It's the light. If you talk to the kids in there, they'll tell you it's the light. We all know that. If you're in a cubicle and have no idea what the weather's like outside, it's not quite the enjoyable experience as (when) you have some natural light," Birkett said. "There is so much research out there (that) says the light's where it's at.
"Students need to feel a sense of ownership in a building," she said, "and I think that building gears itself to that very well."
And where does he get these numbers -- there are 635 Sophs and 581 freshman there 1216 not 1500 and there aren't 800 moving in to make 2300--what a load of crap
there are 317 Hill and 254 Granger 8th graders ( and not 100% of them will go to Metea - that difference will be made up by Owen West -- so they are 500 students short of the 2300 being printed. I can't believe they can continue to print total bullcrap....
------------------------
www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=388755&src=76
Dist. 204 officials say they couldn't be happier with Metea Valley's first year
By Justin Kmitch | Daily Herald StaffContact writer The 87-acre site will house about 2,300 freshman through juniors when classes resume in August.
( no they won't do the math - they are 500 kids short ! )
! Much like a new home - except for the fact it houses 3,000 teenagers - Metea Valley High School has experienced the usual drywall cracks and foundation settling since it opened last August.
But officials in Indian Prairie Unit District 204 say they couldn't be happier with the year-old Aurora facility as they prepare to welcome the Class of 2014 this fall.
"Construction is 100 percent complete and we are now waiting on some punch-list items and some warranty items that have been identified since we occupied the building last August," said Todd DePaul, director of building operations. "It's like buying a new house. As you go through that whole process, there's some cracks in the drywall and building settling, but nothing unusual. We're very pleased, especially considering it all came together in 15 months."
Voters in 2006 approved $124.6 million of the $144.2 million necessary to build the district's third high school, which would have allowed the district to begin construction in late 2006 or early 2007. However, the district was unable to negotiate a price to buy the original site - the Brach-Brodie property near Route 59 and 75th Street. The purchase fell through, leaving district officials scrambling for a site before settling on the current location at 1801 N. Eola Road in April 2008.
Construction began almost immediately to have the building ready for freshmen and sophomores in August 2009. Worked continued into the school year on the junior and senior wings, the auditorium and the pool.
Principal Jim Schmid said he is enjoying the lack of construction noise and traffic that consumed his school last summer.
"It's nice to be done and able to focus all of our attention on teaching kids," Schmid said. "Sure the building lends itself to allowing our students to have great experiences, but it's nice to be able to focus all in one place."
The district also is looking forward to reaping the rewards of its energy management plan for the 465,000-square-foot building. DePaul said the building uses demand-control ventilation, which mixes the appropriate amount of outside air depending on the occupancy of the gymnasium and auditorium; energy recovery wheels on the rooftop HVAC units; and high-efficiency boilers.
Parking lots have rain gardens and the retention and detention ponds have plantings for aquatic vegetation that filter stormwater pollutants before they enter the stormwater systems.
"There was certainly a cost up front for all these items, but as you look at the payback over two to five years you get your money back," DePaul said. "We're saving money and the environment, and I think that's a great lesson for the kids to see as well."
There's a lot more that students and staff are seeing every day, thanks to the high percentage of glass windows in the classrooms and common areas.
"We have glass to bring the natural light in and it keeps costs down as well," DePaul said. "A lot of those areas have light sensors that will also turn off the lights in those hallways when the natural lighting does the trick."
Superintendent Kathryn Birkett said she believes the natural lighting may be the most important design feature in the whole building.
"As a former high school principal, I'll tell you, for me it's the light. It's the light. If you talk to the kids in there, they'll tell you it's the light. We all know that. If you're in a cubicle and have no idea what the weather's like outside, it's not quite the enjoyable experience as (when) you have some natural light," Birkett said. "There is so much research out there (that) says the light's where it's at.
"Students need to feel a sense of ownership in a building," she said, "and I think that building gears itself to that very well."
