New chapter for Richmond's Ford Elementary School

In about two months, students will pour into the sunlit hallways of Richmond's new, $18.5 million Ford Elementary School for the first time.

It has been a long 60 months coming, a process that began with teachers, parents and other members of the community offering their vision of what an urban school should look and feel like.

What emerged was a clear departure from the stereotypical, rectangular inner-city school with a chain-linked, industrial feel.

In this West Contra Costa community, the adults wanted to send a clear message to the kids: "You are important," said Associate Superintendent Bill Fay.

Richmond's newest school is a stuccoed two-story building marked by occasional arches, sloping tiled roofs, a windowed tower, and earthy yellow, orange and blue paint.

Inside, classrooms are brightly colored, with varying geometric patterns of linoleum on the floors. Shredded denim is hidden inside the walls, a nontoxic form of insulation that keeps rooms at an even temperature and quiet.

Stylish, elegant

Exposed ducts, stylish lighting fixtures, wood-plank ceilings and loftlike views from the second floor give the school a hip, elegant feel.

"I wanted it to be nice," architect Sally Swanson said with a shrug as she toured the school's halls while workers put the finishing touches on the site. "I wanted them to feel like this is home. I wanted it to be fun."

Buildings are just the brick-and-mortar part of a public education, but they set the tone for the children who walk through the door to learn, district officials said. The graffiti-covered walls of the 60-year-old school it replaces - along with nonworking water fountains, broken bathrooms, old technology, bad lighting and dull colors - send the wrong message.

Even with the fancy styling and an environmentally conscious drainage system that filters out pollutants, the project is about $5 million dollars under budget - thanks to competitive bidding among contractors looking for work in a sluggish economy, Swanson said.

Rebuilding program

Brand-new schools are rare in most other urban school districts; facility funds are more often used to modernize and upgrade existing sites.

The Ford Elementary School project is one of several schools in West Contra Costa that have been or will be completely rebuilt, each with their own character designed to serve the students' needs. Nearly all the district's 57 schools are getting some kind of makeover made possible by more than $1 billion in facility upgrades funded by five voter-approved bonds and state funding since 1998.

Some of the new sites have incorporated things like dental clinics, recognizing that many students don't have access to such medical services and that tooth pain means kids can't learn.

Swanson designed a building at Ford Elementary to address the needs of the school's 400 students, who are predominantly Latino. Clean air flows from vents near the floor, up through the room and out other vents near the ceiling. The system is meant to help alleviate the asthma that so often plagues inner-city kids.

Other highlights

Less visible features include nearly 60 security cameras, three places to lock down the school in emergencies, a gated periphery, motion detectors to turn on lights and key cards for entry. Bikes will be locked up during the day.

Other features include a room for parents and an outdoor placita, or plaza, to accommodate the moms who often spend a good part of the day at the school.

There is an outdoor education area and a large garden.

Classrooms will have video transceivers, televisions and media carts, allowing teachers to broadcast lessons, plays or projects across the school.

"A facility really should, in the best of all worlds, be an enhancement to our core mission of education," said Fay, the associate superintendent. "We are building top-of-the-line facilities for our communities."

This article appeared on page C - 1 of the San?Francisco?Chronicle

Source: http://feeds.sfgate.com/click.phdo?i=a3c2b6bc3df96396514b2fb858dca629

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