White Plains Times - In Our School

From left to right: a skylight illuminates a corridor at the Post Road Elementary School; Board of Education President Donna McLaughlin cuts the ribbon to officially open the school; the front entrance to Post Road Elementary on Sterling Avenue.
Photo credit: Center photo by Lorraine Seicol; left and right photos by Pat Casey.

The Greening of Our Schools

By: Pat Casey

Published: December 02, 2009

As environmental conservation continues to take center stage in the global context, on a more intimate and local level, the concept of sustainability—the ability to continue to exist—has paramount implications when it comes to economics and energy savings.

A mosaic of tiles painted by students enhances an inner walkway.

Photo credit: Pat Casey

When the referendum was passed to replace the 100-year-old building that housed the Post Road Elementary School in 2006, it is doubtful voters at the time realized the full impact of the decision they were making.

The use of window sills to reflect natural light into the classroom.

Photo credit: Pat Casey

Today, the new 87,000 square-foot two-story structure has been referred to as the “greenest school in New York State” and a model for the rest of the country. Every effort was made during design and construction of the building to take maximum advantage of resources offered by the natural environment. The structure of the school and many of its design elements serve as teaching tools on ecology and energy conservation for students learning within its walls.

A wall of student art illustrates aspects of nature.

Photo credit: Pat Casey

The doors opened on the first day of school in September and on November 7 a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours were open to the public. White Plains Times attended a press tour of the facility before the school opened.

The school cafeteria is well-lit with large windows.

Photo credit: Pat Casey

Eric Kaeyer, of Kaeyer Garment and Davidson, was the chief architect on the project. The entrance, on Sterling Avenue, leads to a circular courtyard, the central hub of the building, around which instructional space is located. The circular design allows for extensive use of sunlight that not only adds to the aesthetics, but also allows natural light into the corridors and workspaces. The library and art rooms are situated on the south side of the courtyard to receive softer light from the north, which enhances this type of work, according to Kaeyer.

Architect Eric Kaeyer explains how skylights strategically located at corridor cross points help to illumine the school's hallways.

Photo credit: Pat Casey

Circular skylights are strategically located at corridor cross points to allow natural light into the hallways from all directions. Stairwells are built on the perimeter walls with large windows to allow natural light in as well. “In the old school there was no natural daylight in the corridors or stairwells, explained Kaeyer. The school’s 340-seat auditorium, 3,300 square-foot cafeteria, and 10,000 square-foot gymnasium, retained from the previous building, also have skylights to allow natural light into the spaces below.

Light fixtures that reflect light to the ceiling provide a pleasant light balance.

Photo credit: Pat Casey

By maximizing the use of daylight, costs for electricity are cut. Classrooms are fitted with light shelves at the windowsills to reflect light further into the room. Each row of interior lights features energy efficient florescent fixtures and has its own switch so teachers can light only those areas needing it. For example, on a sunny day, it might only be necessary to illuminate the interior aisle, keeping the rows near the windows “off.” Light fixtures are also fitted with a reflective shelf to bounce light off the ceiling. According to Kaeyer, not only does this enhance the effectiveness of the light fixtures it also cuts down on glare, creating a pleasant light balance for the students working below.

The use of window sills to reflect natural light into the classroom.

Photo credit: Pat Casey

Solar panels provide hot water and depending on the time of year could produce as much as 100 percent of hot water used. The average over the course of a year is anticipated at somewhere around 50 to 70 percent. Photovoltaic solar panels to generate electricity were not chosen for the school because the pay back timeline for initial and operating expenses would take 25 years, says Kaeyer.

Low flow plumbing fixtures are utilized to save water. Building materials from the floor carpets to the ceilings are all high-level recycled materials and selected for easy maintenance and durability. White boards, rather than black boards, have been installed in the classrooms for this reason.

Photo credit: Pat Casey

The flat roof surfaces have green roof plantings to reduce storm water runoff and to protect the roof from UV light, which is absorbed by the plants, keeping the building cooler. The plants are self-sustaining, add to the overall aesthetic of the building (the kindergarten classes look directly onto the green roof), and extend the life of the roof out to about 20 years.

A green roof exhibit at the Greenburgh Nature Center shows the plants used to absorb water and protect the roof from UV light. The green roof atop the Post Road Elementary School uses the same plant types.

Photo credit: Pat Casey

As winter approaches, one of the more interesting “green” features of the new Post Road School—its geothermal convection heating and cooling system—will be put to the test. The school is not heated or cooled by conventional methods. There is no furnace, no boiler, and no air conditioners. Eighty-four wells dug to about 490 feet form a closed loop system using water for temperature exchange. The heat is literally pulled from the Earth.

Geothermal technology replaces traditional heating and cooling systems.

Photo credit: Pat Casey

According to Kaeyer, the economic pay back for the geothermal system will take from eight to ten years to be realized. Overall, the new Post Road School is expected to operate at 70 percent energy efficiency, using only 30 percent of traditional energy sources. “Overall building efficiency is up 40 percent compared to the letter of the code,” says Kaeyer.

The original building will be deconstructed in the coming months and the space will be developed for playing fields and parking.

More information about the architects who designed the Post Road School can be found by visiting kgdarchitects.com

Green Schools Coalition of Westchester

On Nov. 14, teams from 25 Westchester public school districts and private schools participated in the inaugural Green Schools Coalition of Westchester Membership Conference. The event, held at the Reckson Metro Center in White Plains, included content developed from feedback from over 60 educational institutions in Westchester that responded to a questionnaire regarding school sustainability issues. The goal was to provide a venue for collaborative efforts and resource sharing for schools within the county to have a support mechanism for their sustainability plans.

Coalition co-sponsors include, The Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation (CELF), Teatown Lake Reservation, and Westchester County.

Drew Patrick, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Bedford School District, talks about the possibilities of cooperation.

Photo credit: Patti Bressman

Conference keynote speaker, Dr. David Hursh, Associate Professor of Education at the Warner School of Education at the University of Rochester, shared his background and experience in sustainability education with the group, including ideas from his upcoming book, “We All Live Downstream: Interdisciplinary Learning Through Environmental Health Science.”

Keynote speaker David Hursh.

Photo credit: Patti Bressman

Attendees were organized into teams composed of a student, teacher, administrator, facilities manager, and parent. The teams first heard from speakers, then worked together in breakout sessions. The information and ideas shared are expected to be brought back to their schools and districts for distribution to their larger school communities for the creation of action plans.

Superintendents and headmasters may register “teams” to become members of the Coalition. In order to join, schools must pledge support for the ideals of sustainability education and recognition of its importance. GSCW members are expected to attend conference and meetings and agree to collaborate with other Westchester school teams to support their shared vision.

Steve Frantz, GSCW Director and Scarsdale Schools Sustainability Coordinator, announced that GSCW will be a co-sponsor of the CELF 2010 “Students for a Sustainable Future EXPO,” hosted annually at Pace University in Pleasantville. The Expo will be held April 20, 2010 from 6 to 9 p.m. Registration for Expo exhibitors and visitors opens Dec. 15 online at celfeducation.org.

For more information about GSCW contact Steve Frantz at 874-5095 or by email at stevenf941@aol.com


	Alex Weiner, owner and head counselor of Collegewise New York. Photo credit: Staff Admissions Essays: Taking the Right Approach By: Alex Weiner Published: November 03, 2009 For any hard-working high school senior consumed by the college application process, the thought of what happens after the envelopes are dropped in the mail can be fairly nerve-racking. Understanding who is reading the well-prepared essays, and what they are looking for, can help relieve some of that anxiety. Admissions committees are not made up entirely of crotchety old admissions officers who use phrases like, “Back in my day…” In fact, many admissions officers are current graduate students in education, recent grads, and professional admissions officers. Most of these professional admissions officers did not attend the colleges for whom they work, and many did not even go to more prestigious schools. So, an essay about why Einstein’s theory was wrong and why your formula is right, or your personal life philosophy, or the benefits of solar power, is going to be met by a lot of “Huh?” These are real, normal people. They respond to things in the ways most people respond. Admissions officers are likely never going to meet you. In fact, even if you have an interview, it will likely not be with an official member of the admissions committee. But at the same time, the admissions officers are trying to put together a community of people who will learn from each other. If you deliver honest, revealing answers to the short-answer prompts, they will get a better idea of who you are, and you will be a little closer to earning admission. Before you brainstorm a response to a particular question, put yourself in the admissions officer’s chair. Why are they asking the question? What is the hidden meaning behind it? Remember, these are normal people who want to get to know you a little better. Here are some samples: Essay Question 1: Of all the activities you listed on this application, which has been the most meaningful to you and why? What admissions officers really are asking: You’ve done a lot in high school. What did you really care about, and why? Tell us something about what you like that we don’t already know. *What admissions officers don’t want to read:* Fluff. Don’t tell them you learned to organize your time, or that you learned the value of hard work, or that you learned it was important to help people. Your essay will head straight to the trashcan because they didn’t gain any insight into what matters to you. *What admissions officers do want to read:* Tell them you were an unorganized mess who couldn’t keep track of your own two feet until you became a member of the prom committee. Tell them your victory in the speech and debate competition was the result of the hardest work you have ever done in your life, and that you will never forget seeing your eight-year-old sister clapping and smiling when you received your trophy. Tell them your volunteer work at the shelter for abused children made you feel better about yourself than ever before, and that you sat at the dinner table and talked to your parents about the experience until you realized you hadn’t shut up for 40 minutes. Those are personal answers that reveal little, seemingly insignificant things about yourself, but they are very useful in helping the committee come to know (and like) you. Essay Question 2: Tell us about something (an idea, theory, class, etc.) that you find intellectually exciting and why? *What admissions officers really are asking:* If you don’t like learning new things, you are not getting in. It doesn’t matter what you like to learn, just let us know what gets your cranial juices flowing. What admissions officers don’t want to read: Anything that talks about how understanding history enables you to learn from the mistakes of the past; anything that talks about math being important because it is used to hold up buildings; anything that mentions politics because it is important to society. Yawn. *What admissions officers do want to read:* Tell them that, as a child, you used to read the Atlas for fun, and that finding places on a map still excites you. Tell them that the psychology class you took at community college made you feel like you could diagnose your friends, and that several of them desperately need your therapeutic skills. Tell them you actually asked for a $1500 calculator for Christmas because you like to play with numbers. Tell them that you know everything there is to know about Vince Lombardi, including all of his favorite offensive schemes, which is why you are fascinated by the strategy of football. Give them real answers. Essay Question 3: Jot a note to your future college roommate relating an experience that reveals something about you. *What admissions officers really are asking:* Have fun. We want to learn something more about you. What stories do you have to tell? *What admissions officers don’t want to read:* Anything with a moral; anything that would make your future roommate want to kick your butt; anything that is just another way of trying to impress the admissions committee. *What admissions officers do want to read:* Make fun of yourself. Talk about the time you tripped and fell down the steps in front of the entire school. Talk about something you really love to do. Or, talk about something you really think your future roommate should know. Finally, your short answer questions have to make you likeable. To do that, you’ve got to display some important qualities. Honesty: Don’t be afraid to tell the truth, even if it’s not exciting. Perspective: You are 17 years old and don’t know everything yet. Don’t feel like you have to pretend you do. Maturity: Answers about how close you and your friends are, how you learned that it’s stupid to fight over a guy, etc. aren’t going to convey that sense of maturity. Humor (if you have it): A sense of humor is often a good thing, but don’t feel you have to show one. If it comes naturally, that’s great. But humor is tricky and nobody should feel the need to be funny in an application. Self Deprecation: Everybody likes someone who can laugh at himself. When it is appropriate, don’t be afraid to tell the admissions committee about your faults, what you don’t know, and what you aren’t good at. People who can recognize their faults and laugh at themselves comfortably are often the most accomplished and confident people. Alex Weiner is the owner and head counselor of Collegewise New York. He can be reached at 285-8495 or emailed at alexw@collegewise.com.


	From left to right, Sandra Miranda, White Plains Public Library Director, Laurette Young of the White Plains Public Schools Parent Information Center and a visitor pose in front of the PowerPoint display used as a teaching tool in the new technology center. Photo credit: Pat Casey El Centro Hispano Technology Center Opens By: Pat Casey Published: October 02, 2009 After two and a half years of planning, fund-raising, design and construction, the El Centro Hispano Technology Center opened its doors in late August. Director, Isabel Villar called the ribbon cutting celebration that was attended by many White Plains and Westchester County community leaders, an “impossible dream coming true.” In October, El Centro Hispano, Inc., a not-for-profit organization servicing the local Hispanic community will celebrate its 35^th anniversary. The new technology center marks a major expansion of the center’s services that not only reach the Hispanic community, but adult students—there are adult computer classes on Tuesday and Thursday nights and daytime computer classes for senior citizens, age 65 and older—as well. Other classes conducted in the classroom with 16 brand new Dell workstations include a drop-in homework center for 4^th to 12^th graders, White Plains Youth Bureau technology classes, including computer design and photography, and computer classes for parents of children in the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. El Centro Hispano provides families with outreach, counseling, education, and advocacy programs to help them become self-sufficient. A variety of bilingual and cross-cultural programs are held to help the growing Hispanic community assimilate their new language and culture at the same time that they maintain and enrich their own. Over the years, Centro Hispano has granted scholarships to graduating high school students moving on to attend college. The architect, who worked pro bono, on the design and construction of the new technology center, Louis Seis, in 1980, was the first student to receive a scholarship of $50 from Centro Hispano. El Centro Hispano, Inc. is located at 346 S. Lexington Ave. For more information call 289-0500.

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