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An “inside” look at the Renaissance Academy
As you may know, the Renaissance Academy is slated to open to students in January 2010. Staff worked diligently all summer to stay ahead of construction deadlines and prepare for the new school year. Currently work is ahead of schedule and furniture, accoutrements, and supplies are already set to be delivered in the coming weeks and months. We thought you would find it interesting to get an inside look at some of the building’s unique “green” features. Many of these will be used as teaching tools in science and technology classes.


In the ceiling is a light monitor in the cafeteria which adjusts to natural daylight.	A see-through rain leader is used to drain rain water to the cistern to be recycled.	A mechanical room is made visible to students via a window so they can observe various environmental mechanical processes.

Natural daylight is used in the media center.	Solar collectors on the roof are used for heating hot water in the cafeteria.	Solar tubes extend up through the building to the roof so that daylight is reflected into interior spaces.
	The green roof comprising succulent plants called sedum will cover the entire surface. This type of roof provides better insulation for heating and cooling as well as increased acoustical properties for noise reduction. This roof system also minimizes the amount of storm water runoff.

Meet Tim Cole, Sustainable Schools Project Manager
Tim Cole is the champion of “green” with Virginia Beach City Public Schools. In his position of sustainable schools project manager, he has initiated and/or supported a number of programs that promote “green” technology such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) buildings like the Renaissance Academy as well as recycling and conservation awareness.

Among his many projects is a district-wide recycling program. Thanks to this initiative, the school division has diverted 757 tons from the waste stream since September 2008. This is equivalent to saving: 14,365 trees; 269,420 gallons of oil; 2,535 cubic yards of landfill space; 3,380,000 kilowatts of energy (enough to power 421 homes for one year); and 5,894,000 gallons of water. Cole also serves as the editor of Green News, the VBCPS sustainable schools quarterly newsletter which is available on the school division Web site, vbschools.com.

Cole developed his interest in sustainable projects long before it became popular with the general public. While serving as a project team leader with the architecture and engineering firm of Glenn & Sadler, he oversaw the design development phase for the first LEED certified building for the National Weather Service in Caribou, Maine.

Cole has worked for Virginia Beach City Public Schools since 2000 as a project manager for the office of facilities planning and construction, overseeing the construction of elementary, middle, and high schools. He was instrumental in the promotion and development of the first LEED certified elementary school in Virginia – Hermitage Elementary. He is also the founding chair of Virginia Beach City Public Schools’ Sustainable Schools Committee and is responsible for implementing numerous policies and recommendations addressing environmental sustainability throughout the school division.

Cole also served 17 years in the U.S. Navy, with 10 years spent on active duty and seven in the Reserves. He was recalled to active duty for 16 months in 2005/2006 and spent one tour in Iraq as a Navy Seal. Cole is an original member of Seal Team 6 which was commissioned within the U.S. Navy in 1980.