Seawell Elementary Storm Water Project - Award Winner!

Congratulations are in order for all involved with the Seawell Elementary Storm Water Project. It was one of four land development projects honored at the sixth annual awards cycle for the Greater Triangle Stewardship Development Awards Program (GTSDA). The awards ceremony was held at the Power Plant at the American Tobacco Campus on May 10.

An interdisciplinary expert panel of judges evaluated the projects for achievement in these areas:

Natural resource assessment
Water quality protection
Wildlife Habitat Protection
Vegetation Protection and Enhancement
Green Building
Integration with the Community
Long-Term Management and Maintenance
Community Outreach and Education

Jim Goodmon, CEO of Capital Broadcasting Company, provided a brief keynote address, followed by presentation of awards to recipients by GTSDA Board members.

The four innovative winning projects are:

Horseshoe Farm Nature Preserve, Raleigh
This City of Raleigh nature preserve was awarded the highest award, a Gold Stewardship Development Award. The project, pictured above, demonstrated exceptional achievement on all applicable GTSDA criteria. Surface 678, a landscape architecture firm, worked with the City of Raleigh to create a model public recreation and environmental education facility grounded in resource conservation and sustainable development principles. Horseshoe Farm Nature Preserve is situated above a dramatic oxbow formed by the Neuse River and is becoming a showcase for innovation in sustainability and low impact park development and management practices. In particular, judges commended the extensive natural resource assessment that informed the design and programming, the use of green building techniques, and the development and use of a management plan to guide stewardship of the park moving forward.

Kent Corner Project, Durham
Kent Corner received a Silver Stewardship Development Award. The champions of Kent Corner, Self Help, transformed an environmentally contaminated site within a historic low-income community on the edge of downtown Durham. Self-Help engaged extensively with the three surrounding neighborhoods, resulting in a project that creates strong connections to the residents and meets both economic and cultural goals. Judges praised the place-making aspect of this development, including the community outreach and the features incorporated to connect community members with the project and to recognize the history of the site. They also cited the reuse and remediation of a brownfield site, and use of green building techniques. Two anchor Kent Corner tenants amplify the goal of positive community impact. The Durham Co-op Market brings healthy foods to a food desert as well as jobs to the community. The non-profit Center for Child and Family Health is a partnership among many of the Triangle's universities to integrate and deliver mental health services to children and families recovering from traumatic events. DTW Architects and Planners, Ltd., designed the project, and CT Wilson was the general contractor.

Seawell Elementary School, Chapel Hill
The Seawell Elementary Storm Water Project was awarded an Honorable Mention for Water Quality Protection, Vegetation Protection & Enhancement, and Community Outreach and Education. The main buildings of Seawell were built in 1969. As other buildings and school features were added, storm water management was not an integral part of the decision making process. The stormwater project included installing a 75-foot water retention trench, adding four 500-­gallon cisterns, replanting two hillsides with native plants and grasses, and installing two rain gardens. The judges were extremely impressed with the exceptional respect shown to local water resources through innovative solutions at a developed site, while at the same time providing native vegetation that can benefit wildlife. They also praised how education about the stormwater features was integrated into the curricula throughout multiple grades. The project team included Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools, Lands and Waters South, and North Carolina Cooperative Extension, with funding from the Jandy Ammons Foundation.

Robertson’s Millpond Preserve, Wake County
Robertson Millpond Preserve was awarded an Honorable Mention for Natural Resource Assessment and Wildlife Habitat Protection. The 85-acre preserve along Buffalo Creek lies near Knightdale, Wendell and Zebulon, and centers around a historic millpond. In more than 180 years, the millpond has become a blackwater swamp, unusual for the Piedmont area. It is home to Wake County's only known bald cypress habitat. County leaders, responding to the need for additional recreation areas as part of the Wake County Open Space and Greenway Masterplan, approved the purchase of this property for a nature preserve. This millpond is an aesthetic and visual amenity for county residents to enjoy. The judges were extremely impressed with the exceptional respect for conserving wildlife habitat through the assessment and protection of the unique bald cypress blackwater swamp habitat in the piedmont. DHM Design was the leading firm in the design efforts for the visitor access point, with the design team including Ward Consulting Engineers, Lysaght & Associates Structural Engineers, and Axiom Environmental.

Event sponsors included Moffatt & Nichol, WithersRavenel, Stewart, Inc., Soil & Environmental Consulting, Weaver Street Realty, and Summit Design and Engineering Services, with beverages provided by Haw River Farmhouse Ales.

Modeled after a sister program in the Coastal North Carolina area, called the Lower Cape Fear Stewardship Development Awards, the Greater Triangle Stewardship Development Awards Program was established as a partnership in 2010 among local businesses, academia, state agencies and local governments. The program incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2014. Applications for recognition in the 2017 cycle will be solicited in fall 2016.

More information about the program and past winners is available at www.trianglestewardship.org.

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CHCCS Dedicates Culbreth MS Science Wing

On Thursday, December 11, 2014, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools cut the ribbon on its newest building - the Science Building at Culbreth Middle School.

The new wing, whose groundbreaking was December 19, 2013, adds an additional 14,700 square feet on to the school.  Every student will be able to use its six classrooms/labs, three science preparation rooms, and a large, light-filled commons area to accommodate joint lectures and experiments.  The construction also included a rain garden and a greenhouse to facilitate outdoor learning.

All of the classrooms are wired for video and audio and the commons space has access to Apple TV, which links the room to the teachers' computers to enhance instruction.

The new Science Building is LEED certified at the Silver Level.  In addition to the new facility, the project included a 4,000 square-foot renovation of former classroom space into a new administrative suite for the school.  This allows the school to be more secure with the front office in the front of the building.  Several classrooms that have no windows were renovated with tubular skylights -  "Solatubes" - that provide a great deal of natural light into classrooms.  Approximately 80 percent of the construction waste was recycled or otherwise diverted from the landfill.  The project also includes a permeable sidewalk and bamboo flooring.

Another feature of the commons area is a wall with whiteboard paint, which allows presenters to write wherever they want, up to nine feet.

An outdoor feature of the project is the "grandstand," located just off the outdoor patio.  It is designed to be used as a teaching tool where students can sit and listen to a presenter.  There is also a bioretention cell that is designed to get very wet when it rains, allowing the water to seep into the soil and plants and then dry out completely.

The new greenhouse is available to all Culbreth staff, as well as being used for a variety of science projects.

The day's program began with Beverly Rudolph, Culbreth principal, welcoming everyone.  An 8x5 foot flag was donated by Woodmen of the World to fly over the new building, and they also donated flags for each classroom.  Also speaking were:  Tony Srithai, science coordinator; Bernadette Pelissier, vice chair, Orange County Board of Commissioners (BOCC); Andrew Davidson, vice chair, Board of Education; and Tom Forcella, superintendent.

Earlier that day, the Board of Education voted to dedicate the Science Building in honor of retired BOCC member, Alice Gordon.  They voted on a resolution to honor Gordon for:

• serving the citizens of Orange County for 24 years as a County Commissioner;
• being a champion of excellent public schools that provide quality education for all the county's students;
• proposing, forming and chairing the county-wide group of elected officials who crafted the Schools Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (SAPFO) to plan for future needs; and
• for being an advocate for the renovation and maintenance of older schools.

The dedication of the Science Building in her honor was a surprise to Gordon that afternoon.  After Forcella read the resolution, Gordon was given a standing ovation and asked to address those in attendance.  In January, the school will establish a formal plaque to Gordon in her honor.

For more pictures from the event, visit the district's Facebook page.

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Northside Elementary - NC's First LEED Platinum Elementary School

Northside Elementary School in Chapel Hill, NC has earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEEDTM) Platinum certification with the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). The three-story, 100,000-square-foot school opened in fall of 2013 and represents the first LEED Platinum elementary school in North Carolina. 

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools partnered with Moseley Architects to design a new school to support 585 students. Located in the heart of the Northside neighborhood, the site was originally home to the all African-American Orange County Training School. Since 1924 this site has functioned as a site of education, and the school’s design embraces the rich history of the community and the alumni. A display along the lower level corridor shows a timeline for the students to appreciate the history of the site, as well as a large display case that houses the school’s original cornerstone.

“We are thrilled to learn of Northside Elementary’s LEED Platinum designation,” said Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Superintendent Tom Forcella. “Moseley Architects, and the entire planning team, worked extremely hard to create such an amazing learning facility. It will benefit our students and our community for decades to come.”

The design integrates many sustainable features, and embodies a truly sustainable approach to a small site. The district’s Policy 9040 for high performance design criteria set the stage for the school to pursue LEED Gold. However, through a collaborative effort between the design team and the school district, that goal was surpassed, while still remaining on schedule and within budget.

The design incorporates a garden roof area connected to the adjacent science classroom, a comprehensive stormwater management plan that includes an underground rainwater cistern that supplies water to the toilet fixtures and cooling tower, pervious pavers, porous playground surfaces, carefully designed windows, tubular skylights, and light shelves to both maximize daylight in classrooms and reduce the energy spent for lighting.
                                                             
The building also places a special emphasis on functioning as a teaching tool for the students, staff and community. Early in the design process, the idea of using the school building to actively support the curriculum was discussed with key staff members. Through continued staff input and a healthy collaboration, this idea was not only realized but expanded. Discreetly placed interior and exterior signage provides brief descriptions of several sustainable design features utilized at Northside. Each sign directs the reader to the school’s Building Dashboard for more information concerning the building’s sustainable features, which provides media center book suggestions and internet websites where the subject can be explored further.  The school’s teachers also collaborate with one another on integrating these features into customized lesson plans and project-based learning efforts.

Jim Copeland, managing principal for the project with Moseley Architects is proud of what Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools achieved.

“I am particularly pleased that our team was able to achieve their vision,” said Copeland. “Northside Elementary is one of only 20 LEED Platinum public schools in the entire country, and one of only four elementary schools.”

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District Dedicates Newest Elementary School

September 21 was another historic moment in Chapel Hill as the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools dedicated Northside Elementary, its eleventh elementary school.

While the building is new, the spirit of Northside is not.  There was another school from another era that used to sit on the site.  In 1924, Orange County Training School was originally built on the lot.  A Rosenwald School, funds were raised by the African-American community in conjunction with a grant from Julius Rosenwald to build the school.  Through the years, classrooms were added and in 1951, the school took on the name Northside Elementary.  When the district became desegregated in the 1960s, Northside was closed as students went to other district elementary schools.

As the new Northside Elementary opens, it continues the proud tradition in education, combining its rich history with 21st Century technology.  Northside Elementary is a place where every student can think, learn and grow with purpose, persistence and pride.

The dedication was attended by former Northside alumni, community members and new Northside Elementary students and staff.

Northside accommodates 585 students and has art, science and music rooms.  The school also has a memory hallway, which has pictures from the original schools, as well as the school's 1924 cornerstone.  The building is over 97,000 square feet and is LEED Green Certified through the US Green Building Council.  Sustainable design includes:

• stormwater management plan to reduce runoff and a rainwater cistern;
• vegetated "green" roof area, which is also used for science classes;
• rooftop solar thermal panels to generate hot water for the building's kitchen and space heating needs; and
• windows and clerestories to maximize daylight in classrooms.

Original steps built in 1924 still lead to Northside Elementary

For more pictures from the dedication, visit our Facebook page.

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Staff Tour Northside Elementary

The Northside Elementary staff toured their new school for the first time together on January 10.  Steve Nally, the project manager for the school's construction, led the group around the site, first showing them the blueprints and then going through the school.

Northside Elementary's first five staff members are: Cheryl Carnahan, principal; Coretta Sharpless, assistant principal; Alan Brown, technology specialist; Kathryn Cole, media specialist; and Cindy Fernandez, school secretary.

Brick has started to be laid on the outside of the buildings and can be seen on the walls of the three-story building, where windows are also being installed.  The stage area has been poured in the multi-purpose room.  Construction is being done on every floor, as the building begins to take shape.  Outside, the newly added rock wall complements the original rock wall, as well as the original steps that are still there from the OCTS/Northside School.

Once complete, the school will accommodate 585 students and have art, science and music rooms.  Northside Elementary is over 103,000 square feet and will be certified through the US Green Building Council's LEED Green Building Rating System.  Sustainable design include:

• stormwater management plan to reduce runoff and a rainwater cistern;
• vegetated roof area, which will also be used for science classes;
• rooftop solar thermal panels to generate hot water for the building's kitchen and space heating needs; and
• windows and clerestories to maximize daylight in classrooms.

Northside Elementary opens in August 2013.  For more pictures from this and other construction visits, go to the district's Facebook page.

Northside Staff
Row 1 - Cheryl Carnahan, Coretta Sharpless, Kathryn Cole, Alan Brown
Row 2 - Cindy Fernandez

Northside Elementary
(Media Center on left, Main Entry in middle, Three-Story Building on right)

Media Center 

View of Three-Story Building from the Green Roof off the Science Classroom

View of Cafeteria from the Third Grade Wing in the Three-Story Building

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Carnahan Named Principal for Elementary #11

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools has selected Cheryl Carnahan as the principal for Elementary #11.  She is currently the principal at Estes Hills Elementary.

Carnahan has been the principal at Estes Hills Elementary since 2007.  She had served as the school’s assistant principal for a year before that.

Before joining CHCCS, Carnahan was the director of professional and organizational development for the Howard County Public School System in Ellicott City, MD.  She also served as their staff development facilitator, as a resource teacher, speech-language pathologist and as an elementary classroom teacher.

Carnahan holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Towson University in Towson, MD.  She also holds a certification from North Carolina in Administration and Supervision.

“Cheryl brings not only her experience as a successful elementary principal, but her background in district level educational change will benefit the new school and the entire district,” said Superintendent Thomas A. Forcella.  “She will be sorely missed at Estes Hills Elementary, as the school has experienced positive academic and professional growth under her leadership,” he added.

Susan Pegg has been approved as the interim principal at Estes Hills.  Pegg was the former principal at Seawell Elementary and an interim principal at FPG Elementary.

Elementary #11 will open in Fall 2013.  When completed, it will meet gold-level LEED certification as a result of its environmental features and sustainable construction practices.  Architectural elements from the surrounding community have been incorporated into the school’s design, as well as keeping the granite walls.  The new school is being built on the historic Northside site located between Caldwell and McMasters Streets.

Principal Cheryl Carnahan

Elementary #11
Library Entry

Elementary #11
Gym and Classroom Entry

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Construction project updates from across CHCCS

The CHCCS Maintenance Department has been busy working on multiple construction projects at many district schools over the summer, getting ready for students and staff to return in August.

Work continues on Elementary #11, which is being built to LEED Gold Specifications and will open in August 2013.

At Carrboro HS, construction of the physical education and athletic field's bathroom building is underway.  The building will accomodate restroom facilities, as well as be used during PE classes.

A new mobile unit has been added to Estes Hills Elementary to accomodate its new PreK class.  New HVAC units are also being installed in all of the school's lower nine classrooms to improve energy efficiency, control humidity and improve air quality.

The field lighting at Chapel Hill HS is being replaced at the school's stadium and soccer fields.  The old wood pole fixtures have been removed and new underground electrical service is being installed.  Lights are also being added to the softball field.

Roofs have been replaced at Glenwood Elementary, McDougle MS and Phillips MS.  Paving and parking lot repairs are being made at Seawell Elementary, Phillips MS and Chapel Hill HS.

Carrboro High's new bathroom building

Estes Hills Elementary being prepared for delivery of the mobile unit

Paving work at Phillips Middle School parking lot

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