The opening of a new school is always an exciting community event, but Marshall Countians celebrated their new Hilltop School in August with extra fanfare.

The building will be among the state's first educational facilities to be officially cited for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Hilltop School will apply for a LEED silver certification from the US Green Building Council, which sets rigorous standards designating levels of excellence in sustainable building practices.

Although it does not presently use solar- or wind-generated energy, the building is designed to accommodate either or both types of power, and ranks in the nation's top 15 percent of energy-efficient buildings. Among its technical features is a weather station and equipment that student/teacher teams can use for continually upgrading the school's sustainability.

Architect Thomas Worlledge designed the building to serve as a continuous learning environment for the whole community. Worlledge collaborated with Mark Swiger, a John Marshall High School teacher and the USGBC's green schools advocate, to coordinate the school's facility design with a learning program that reaches beyond school walls into the community.

"The LEED Framework for 21st Century Schools allows teachers to create curriculum by aligning local standards with the LEED rating system," says Swiger. "The program brings teachers, various industry professionals, teachers' unions, departments of education, architects' associations and other interested groups together to deliver content that is unique to a particular school. The curriculum is not 'canned.' Students and teachers have an opportunity to design projects that relate to their specific place. These fresh learning opportunities excite teachers and students because they are often learning together."

The new Cameron Middle/High School in rural Marshall County, to be built in the coming year, will also incorporate cutting-edge sustainable technologies. Students there run an award-winning aquaculture and related hydroponics business. Swiger and the Cameron school staff are collaborating with Worlledge in the school's design phase.

Swiger, who is also working with the State of New Jersey's USGBC green school's advocate John Henry to pilot a similar program there, will participate in the panel, "Schools as Community Epicenter," at 11:15 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the Create West Virginia Conference in Huntington.

Photo courtesy of Thomas Worlledge

Hilltop School is designed for flexibility, growth, and community collaboration.

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