Hampton Bays Middle School winner of the first National Green Ribbon Schools Program

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, and Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality Nancy Sutley announced Hampton Bays Middle School in Hampton Bays, NY, designed by BBS Architects, Landscape Architects and Engineers (BBS), a winner of the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools program.

The 2012 competition is the first of the new program developed by the U.S. Department of Education in collaboration with the White House and the EPA.

U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) is a federal recognition program that opened in September 2011. Honored schools exercise a comprehensive approach to creating "green" environments through reducing environmental impact, promoting health, and ensuring a high-quality environmental and outdoor education to prepare students with the 21st century skills and sustainability concepts needed in the growing global economy.

The program is part of a larger effort to identify and disseminate knowledge about practices proven to result in improved student engagement, academic achievement, graduation rates, and workforce preparedness, as well as a government-wide aim to increase energy independence and economic security.

Located in Hampton Bays, N.Y., the $42-million, 146,400-sf structure received the LEED NC 2.1 Silver rating, based on 36 awarded LEED points.

It was the first public school in the entire state to receive any LEED certification.

Hampton Bays Middle is also the first CHPS-certified school in New York State. CHPS, the Collaborative for High Performance Schools, is a national organization that promotes the design and operation of healthy and resource-efficient educational facilities.

The school houses approximately 800 students in grades five through eight. The building encompasses 30 classrooms and lecture rooms, a competition size gymnasium with seating for 500 spectators, a library/media center, a cafeteria combined with an auditorium and a full theatrical stage, and a home and careers room with six fully equipped kitchen stations. The outdoor sports facilities include field hockey, soccer, softball and football fields.

In addition to Patchogue, NY-based BBS, which served as architect, interior designer and MEP engineer, the project team included architect Beatty Harvey Coco; educational planning consultant DeJong & Associates; construction manager Triton Construction; structural engineer Ysrael A. Seinuk, PC; civil engineer Savik & Murray, LLP; theater consultant Theatrical Services & Supplies; food service/kitchen consultant Wes Design & Supply Company; and environmental consultant Freudenthal & Elkowitz Consulting Group, Inc. BD+C

Before you get your shorts in a knot, I have nothing against science, technology, engineering, or even mathematics; to the contrary, I love all four “STEM” disciplines (I’m lying about the math). But I question whether we need to be building K-12 schools that overly emphasize or are totally devoted to STEM.

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