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Update, 12/23/14: After Lake Mills Elementary School students, staff members and teachers settled into their new school, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel paid a visit to show how this dynamic learning environment, created by Miron Construction, has changed Lake Mills’ learning experience for the better. Read the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story about how the school’s design is benefiting students’ education and supporting the district’s sustainable future here.

On Friday, Oct. 10, Lake Mills Area School District administration, board members and elementary school staff, students, Miron Construction Co., Inc., Eppstein Uhen Architects and Sustainable Engineering Group LLC celebrated the dedication and LEED certification of the new Lake Mills Elementary School. This project was special in a number of ways, from the sustainable goals reached to the historical significance of the dedication.

As a part of the LEED v4 Beta program, Lake Mills Elementary School gave Miron et. al. the chance to design, build and implement a number of next-level green initiatives in an effort to meet new LEED certification standards and give students of the Lake Mills Area School District an exemplary learning environment. Being the only K-12 program of 122 projects worldwide in the Beta program, what has been accomplished at Lake Mills Elementary will serve as a model for others.

The historical aspect of the Friday dedication came, in part, in the form of a time capsule. The students who attended the site’s original elementary school, Prospect, left behind a time capsule on the building’s dedication day in 1954. On Friday, 60 years to the day from the first dedication, that time capsule was opened by Rick Mason, school board president and member of the first 1^st grade class at Prospect. Current Lake Mills Elementary students were on hand to fill up a new time capsule, ensuring that area students will always be able to peer into the past.

“The Lake Mills Area School District carries an appreciation of its past, and it has been thrilling to partner with them on a project that will carry their students to the future,” said Theresa Lehman, LEED Fellow, LEED AP-BD+C, ID+C, director of sustainable services at Miron. “It’s very rewarding to know that, by helping our clients build green and obtain LEED certification, we’ve made a difference in enhancing the health and well-being of the staff and students of Lake Mills Elementary School through the LEED v4 Beta Program.”

In addition to the time capsule opening and refilling, special guests like Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and founder of U.S. Green Building Council, and Rachel Gutter, director of Center for Green Schools were available to discuss the latest in green initiatives. The dedication ceremony was followed by a reception from 3 – 5 p.m., including tours of the new school.