by Todd Martin

 

 

Much like former Gov. Martha Layne Collins was a pioneer, she sees Shelby County’s new school that will carry her name in the same vein.

 

“It’s a model,” she said after a guided tour on Monday.

 

Collins was invited along as school board members are taking tours this week of the school.

 

“I think it’s really great, I do," said Collins, the state's only female governor. "When you compare it to other schools in Kentucky, they have done a marvelous job.”

 

The building is currently on schedule to be open for the first day of school on Aug. 18, and some of the rooms already are being furnished.

 

The upstairs is cleaned and close to ready, with just touch-ups to finish, and most of the work left downstairs is detail oriented and coincides with bringing in all the furniture.

 

On Monday Mike Smith of Sherman Carter Barnhart, the architects,  led the tour for Gov. Collins and some of her family members, pointing out several of the building’s features.

 

The school opens up from the main entrance, and along a long, wide corridor from the bus entrance, to the media center, which will feature a sitting area for congregation before and after school.

 

Smith said having the media center in the front shows “the school is all about instructing students.”

 

The media center will house the library along with about 60 computer stations.

 

There are also three more computer labs near the gym, which will double as an area that can be used as a community-learning center.

 

To the west of the media center is the wing with that houses the school’s gymnasium and to the east is its auditorium.

 

The rest of the school can be locked behind gates, allowing separate entrances for both the auditorium and gym.

 

Smith said having the two near each other has been a big complaint for schools in the past because of crowding and noise on nights when both are in use.

 

Also next to the media center is the school’s main office and reception area. However, there is an office on the second floor for the 8th-9th-grade principal, which helps to bring the principal to the students.

 

By using several glass walls, windows and shorter walls, Smith said the idea was the design the school with an open feel.

 

In several areas you can see all the way through the school to the outside, and there are no interior rooms. All rooms open to the outside and have windows.

 

 

Energy efficiency

 

The tour focused more on the building’s efficiency than anything else.

 

Everything from the direction the building faces to the lights and from the HVAC system to the insulation was taken into account for maximum efficiency.

 

Some highlights are:

 

·         Lights dim and brighten as the day goes on depending on where the sun is, maximizing the use of natural light.

 

·         Sun shades on the outside of the building reflect away in the summer, but as the angle of the sun changes in the winter, the shades allow more light to take advantage of the heat.

 

·         All rooms face either south or north to have the best use natural light.

 

·         Reflective tiles were used in the media room to help maintain even lighting from the sun, making it easier on the eyes for reading.

 

·         In the large courtyard at the main entrance, rain gardens are being created with natural grasses and soils. These gardens will help filter rainwater and can be maintained with minimal effort.

 

 

Use of technology

 

Throughout the building it is evident that the school was built to take complete use of technology.

 

Each classroom will be equipped with SMART boards and microphones. All science classes have full labs, and the agriculture department was upgraded.

 

With the focus changing from mechanical to more of a science-based ag background at Collins, the new classrooms reflect that.

 

Not only is there a large bay to pull tractors in for work, but there is also an area that can be used for animal study and a full lab classroom to focus the chemical side of agriculture.

 

The culinary arts program features a large classroom that has six different “kitchen” areas to replicate home cooking and another area that will work more like a restaurant or cafeteria.

 

“The only difference between this area and the school’s cafeteria is the scale,” Smith said.

 

The engineering lab is another very large class that features full gas and water hookup along with a large bay door to bring in bigger items for study.