We’re Ready!

I can’t help but be energized as summer winds down to a close and we approach the first day of school. The faculty and staff will kick off next week with our annual servant leadership day in the Rome community. We are all looking forward to getting out of our classrooms and offices, getting our hands dirty, and living out the part of our school motto that talks about “service beyond self.” We will spend the remainder of the week team building, goal setting and planning as we eagerly anticipate the arrival of students on campus. After all, they are the reason we’re all here.

This week has been doubly exciting here at Darlington as we witness the completion of our brand-new Middle School. The landscaping is almost finished, and our folks have already started moving into their classrooms. The years of hard work by those who conducted the research, developed the plans, raised the money, and built this facility have finally paid off. It has all been worth it to see the expressions on the faces of the Middle School teachers as they marvel at the finished product and joyfully put their own personal touches on their respective areas. I can only imagine what our students are going to think on Aug. 17! 

Let me take a moment to share some information about the new building that you may not know. In our effort to construct a facility that complied with U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and environmental Design (LEED) standards, we have created a learning environment that is sustainable and healthy. All spaces are “day lit” to minimize the need for artificial lighting, thus reducing energy consumption. Along the same lines, motion sensors are utilized in many rooms and photocells control lighting in the classrooms, automatically turning off lights when the daylight reaches a level equal to that of the light fixture. All in all, the building’s mechanical system exceeds the local energy code efficiency requirements by 40 percent! To conserve water, all plumbing fixtures and kitchen equipment are “low-flow” and many are also motion controlled. To preserve a healthy air quality, interior finishes and materials are low-VOC products to minimize “off-gassing,” and environmentally friendly cleansers will be used by our housekeeping staff. Last, and probably most remarkable in my opinion, 90 percent of all construction waste was recycled.

I know my colleagues are as excited as I am about integrating a green program into our curriculum and capitalizing on this one-of-a-kind teaching tool! We are also very proud to offer an opportunity for you and other members of the Rome community to get a glimpse of this great achievement for Darlington during a very special event next month. We hope you will stop by and celebrate with us Wednesday, Sept. 9, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Guests are invited to tour the building, visit with faculty members and enjoy refreshments.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you again for your partnership and support throughout this process. You are an important part of what we do here each and every day as we seek to make Darlington the best it can be.

Tom