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September 17, 2008

Grand-opening party set for Imagine School at Evening Rose in Tallahassee

By TAMARYN WATERS
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

Source: Tallahassee Democrat
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Grand-opening party set for Imagine School at Evening Rose in TallahasseePublic schools have been in full swing for nearly a month. But leaders at Imagine Schools will take time to pause Thursday to celebrate the new charter school with a grand-opening ceremony.

In addition to taking a unique approach to teaching, the school has now earned the title of being the first green-built school in North Florida.

The school, tucked in the northeast Evening Rose development, will have three main benefits as a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-certified building, which means it meets the nationally recognized criteria for being a green building.

David Wamsley, CEO of K2 Urbnacorp, which built the school, said it will use 20 to 30 percent less energy compared to traditional schools that aren't LEED certified, will have a high clean air quality and will be a more durable building.

"This thing is built to last," Wamsley said.

The grand opening will also include speakers, including Tallahassee Mayor John Marks, Florida Century Commission director Steven Seibert and Dennis and Eileen Bakke, who created Imagine Schools, the national charter-school company in 2002.

Principal Suezan Turknett said she's met the couple before, but many members of her staff are thrilled to be meeting them for the first time.

"The teachers are quite excited about that," Turknett said.

Imagine opened in Tallahassee with nearly 320 students last month, and it became the fifth charter school in the school district.

Imagine uses the "Project CHILD" - Changing How Instruction for Learning is Delivered - approach to teaching. The curriculum is based on the state's standards for core subjects: math, reading, science and writing. But it allows students to work in a cluster of teachers for three years.