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Like Christmas morning, students began their first day at a new school with a fresh coating of snow, and with a revived spirit.
Students from Brandywood Elementary are enjoying their first day at the new Hanby Elementary School on Wednesday, after almost two years of construction.
The Brandywine School District applied for and received a grant from DNREC totaling $950,000 to construct the state’s first LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) school.
The environmentally friendly building features a rooftop rainwater collection system, heavily insulated walls, energy-efficient equipment, LED lights and more. Nearly 95 percent of materials from the demolition of the previous building were re-used in construction, according to the district. LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building was designed and built using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.
The new school will now house students from Brandywood Elementary and Bush Early Education Center. The school, located on Berwyn Road, is the site of the former Hanby Middle School.
Imani Straker, 11, and former Brandywood student, is excited about her future in the new school.
“It is so much better than the old school,” Straker said. “It has an elevator, and every teacher has their own classroom.”
Like Christmas morning, students began their first day at a new school with a fresh coating of snow, and with a revived spirit.
Students from Brandywood Elementary are enjoying their first day at the new Hanby Elementary School on Wednesday, after almost two years of construction.
The Brandywine School District applied for and received a grant from DNREC totaling $950,000 to construct the state’s first LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) school.
The environmentally friendly building features a rooftop rainwater collection system, heavily insulated walls, energy-efficient equipment, LED lights and more. Nearly 95 percent of materials from the demolition of the previous building were re-used in construction, according to the district. LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building was designed and built using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.
The new school will now house students from Brandywood Elementary and Bush Early Education Center. The school, located on Berwyn Road, is the site of the former Hanby Middle School.
Imani Straker, 11, and former Brandywood student, is excited about her future in the new school.
“It is so much better than the old school,” Straker said. “It has an elevator, and every teacher has their own classroom.”
