Ho'okele Elementary School in Kapolei, Hawaii, will welcome students for the first time next week.
The newly constructed public school, the 256th operated by the Hawaii Department of Education, will serve students from kindergarten through fifth grade. The first day of school is July 29.
The state says Ho'okele is the first school in Hawaii that has been constructed using design-build criteria. The state legislature appropriated $40 million in 2013 for the construction of the 78,404-square-foot school. The campus has seven buildings surrounding a central courtyard.
The school has been designed and built to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Schools 2009 standards for environmentally friendly facilities. Sustainable features include learning gardens, an onsite bio-retention and native landscaping. Green Magazine Hawaii details the sustainable strategies that are being employed at Ho'okele.
The campus also has flexible learning spaces, a covered play court and a wireless network throughout all buildings. Multiple dropoff entries for parents and school buses have been established. as well as expansion areas for increased enrollment if needed have also been incorporated into the plan
