ECHS Opens Doors to State Of The Art Science Center

**MEDIA ADVISORY**
 
AWARD-WINNING ENVIRONMENTAL CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL OPENS DOORS OF STATE OF THE ART SCIENCE CENTER

Cutting Edge Environmental School To Hold Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony and Environmental Career Day on March 2, 2011
 
On March 2, 2011 at 12:15pm, Environmental Charter Schools (echsonline.org) will open the doors to its brand new state of the art, sustainably designed and constructed indoor/outdoor Science Center.  The Science Center reflects the latest in environmentally conscious design and construction.  Students, parents, faculty and staff are invited to join city officials to celebrate this momentous occasion.  Actor Thom Barry, beloved by fans all over the world for his iconic portrayal of Detective Will Jeffries in the long-running police procedural Cold Case on CBS, will cut the ribbon and inaugurate the center.
 
Funded by The Ahmanson Foundation, Weingart Foundation and S. Mark Taper Foundation, the Science Center was designed when a team of students and science teachers put their heads together to come up with an inspiring, cutting-edge center that would reflect the environmentally conscious school philosophies.   The team visited Shangri-La Construction’s Platinum LEED certified airplane hangar and TreePeople’s campus for inspiration and collaborated with Cuningham Group Architecture, P.A., who provided their services pro bono, and La Loma Development for the design and then build out of the space plan.
 
The facility, which features two indoor classrooms, a live animal area and an outdoor section, was designed with sustainable principles such as fans and windows to control temperature without draining resources.  In fact, the entire facility offers a crash course on sustainable construction.   These renovations and others done in previous years will afford ECHS the opportunity to seek LEED certification for existing buildings.    
 
In addition to the ribbon-cutting, ECS will also host an Environmental Career Day on March 2 from 8am – 12pm in which local professionals will introduce their green careers to students.  Speakers will help provide students with windows into their future and the event will feature exhibits by Los Angeles area environmental agencies (federal, state, city and county) as well as local green groups, corporations, and others.
 
Environmental Charter Schools is a model for green learning founded ten years ago in Los Angeles.  Since receiving its California Charter, ECHS has become an award-winning institution delivering dramatically improved academic results and enriching the lives of hundreds of young people of whom nearly 80% are financially disadvantaged. The school has grown to more than 450 high school students and in 2010 ECS opened Environmental Charter Middle School.
 
WHO:
ECHS Students, Faculty and School Community
 
WHAT:
ECHS Science Center Grand Opening
Environmental Career Day
 
WHERE:
Environmental Charter High School

16315 Grevillea Ave

Lawndale, CA 90260-2858
 
WHEN:
Science Center Ribbon Cutting
12:15 PM – 1:15 PM
Environmental Career Day
8AM – 12PM
 
About Environmental Charter Schools:
The mission of Environmental Charter Schools is to inspire students to discover their own sense of purpose, to equip all students with the knowledge and skills to graduate from college, and to empower them to become quality stewards of their community and world.  On top of our challenging classroom programs, students are required to apply concepts and skills gained in class to problem-solve local civic and environmental issues, and take action to make a measurable impact.   Students also participate in outdoor educational challenges to develop self-confidence and leadership skills.  The first school was formed in 1999, by founder Alison Suffet-Diaz along with a group of parents, educators, businesses and non-profits to meet the educational challenge in a low-income area of SW Los Angeles. http://www.echsonline.org/
                                                              
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PRESS CONTACT: BBPR, Dienna D’Olimpio
email: ddolimpio@bbprinc.com
phone: 310.656.4668