Over 400 Community Members Break Ground on Growing Energy-Efficient Campus at Pacific Ridge School

Carlsbad, CA, October 30, 2009 --(PR.com)-- On Saturday, October 24, over 400 community members walked onto the Pacific Ridge School campus in Carlsbad with shovels in hand and conversing excitedly as they prepared to be a part of the school’s history. With school enrollment two years ahead of the original plan, Pacific Ridge School has accelerated its master campus building plans to break ground on the first phase of the plan, which includes a new synthetic athletic field and an energy-efficient high school building to accommodate up to 360 ninth through twelfth grade students.

Dr. Eileen Mullady, head of school at Pacific Ridge School, noted, “This new energy-efficient high school will not just serve families in our immediate vicinity, but it will serve all of San Diego County, and it is our hope that this campus inspires schools across the country. Our students and their families will always remember the day we made our school permanent. The best is yet to be.”

Following the opening remarks offered by Chairman of the Board Rick Sapp, Head of School Dr. Eileen Mullady, and Trustee Jay Lichter, the Pacific Ridge School choir broke into song with their own unique version of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin”. Community members then dispersed in groups to break ground on different sections of the construction site.

Environmental sustainability is the cornerstone to the new campus design, and Pacific Ridge School is committed to becoming one of the few schools across the country to receive gold accreditation from LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), a nationally accepted benchmark of environmental responsibility. Highlights of the new energy efficient campus, designed to reduce overall energy consumption by 42%, compared to traditional school buildings, include:

Onsite solar power
Recycled construction materials
Natural lighting for 90% of classroom space
Passive ventilation for 100% of the public spaces
Reduction of landscape irrigation by 50%

The total building project will cost $20 million, of which the school has already raised over half from Trustees, foundations, parents, and other school supporters since last spring. The school expansion is the result of the collaboration of architecture firm Carrier Johnson; land use planning, fiscal and environmental services firm Hofman Planning Associates; and construction managers Swinerton Management and Consulting.

A land dedication is planned for December 2009. For more information on Pacific Ridge School, visit http://www.PacificRidge.org. For timely news and updates, follow the school on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pacific-Ridge-School/108596953132 or Twitter at http://twitter.com/PRS_Carlsbad.

About Pacific Ridge School:

Opened in the fall of 2007, Pacific Ridge School is a non‐profit, independent middle and high school located in the North County, San Diego. With the distinctive mission of building a community that fosters academic excellence, ethical responsibility and global engagement, Pacific Ridge offers a first-rate educational experience to prepare students for college and a purposeful life. For more information, visit www.pacificridge.org. Pacific Ridge School does not discriminate on the basis of religion, gender, sexual orientation, race, creed, or national origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, and other administered programs.

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