'Green' high school sprouts energy-saving devices

When students pour into Ashland High School classrooms every morning, the lights flash on automatically. Later, as sunshine streams in or the students leave for lunch, the lights dim.

Designed to conserve energy, the $32 million building, outfitted with the latest in technology, is one of a handful of ''green" schools in the state.

''Our students deserve to be in these kinds of schools, and our communities need the kind of energy savings that these kind of schools will generate," said Merrilee Harrigan, director of education for the Alliance to Save Energy based in Washington, D.C.

Ashland is opening the school at a time when districts across the state are grappling with rising energy bills. Expecting heating bills to nearly double this winter, some districts have cut back after-school activities and lowered the temperatures in classrooms.

Energy bills at the Ashland school, which opened Jan. 9, are expected to be 20 percent lower than for a comparable building with traditional systems, said Bob Hebden, the project manager.

The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, which gave Ashland a $630,000 grant to make the school ''green," predicts this will save the district more than $75,000 a year.

Energy-saving features are everywhere. Motion sensors trigger changes in the building's lighting and heat. Solar panels on the roof convert sunlight to electricity. Heat produced from showers in the locker rooms and the washing of pots and pans in the cafeteria is captured and recycled into the heating system.

The school's placement on its East Union Street parcel was intended to take advantage of natural light. Dozens of insulated skylights run above the lobbies, the library, and the cafeteria, allowing the sun to warm the building's interior.

If any adjustments need to be made after hours, the building's heating system can be controlled by the building superintendent from his home computer.

A computer screen in a gathering spot outside the school's auditorium will eventually display up-to-the-minute data about how much energy the solar panels are producing and how much the school is using.

Principal Michael Tempesta said being around this kind of science will be good for the students.

''The kids will become more involved in the applications of science that are all around them in the building," he said.

Hebden said teachers are already scheduling times for classes to check out the school's electric utility room. Students are also eager for the computer monitor to begin displaying the school's energy status.

Seniors, he said, curse their bad timing. They'll have only a few months to enjoy the new school before they graduate.

For a brief time at least, the school will be the most technologically advanced in Massachusetts, Hebden said.

Still other technology in the school is intended to make it a healthy environment and help students learn.

By monitoring carbon dioxide levels, the school can detect how many people are in the theater or gym and, if needed, pump in more air.

The campus is equipped with wireless Internet service. Teachers can project images from their laptop computers to a screen in the front of the classroom, and rooms are equipped with sound systems so teachers can be better heard.

The computer lab is equipped with two 42-inch plasma screens and cameras that will allow teleconferencing with anyone who has similar equipment, including college classes that students may want to take.

''We're all really excited about it," said Sue Bronstein, chair of the English department.

The high-tech theme even extends to security.

After school starts and doors are locked, teachers can come and go with electronic cards, but visitors, who will be videotaped by cameras installed at the entrances, will be allowed entry only after they are buzzed in by the main office.

Harrigan, of the Alliance to Save Energy, said the school's energy efficiency features should be duplicated around the nation.

''There's no reason that any newly designed school would not incorporate these initiatives," she said. ''It's critical."