Jones-Wheat Elementary school almost ready to open – see our new photos!

The formal dedication of the new Jones-Wheat Elementary School on Shotwell Street in Bainbridge will be from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept.28.

At 2 p.m. there will be a dedication ceremony in the school’s gym with several speakers and students presenting. Then from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. there will be a reception in the cafeteria and people can tour the facility at their leisure.

The first day for students in the new Jones-Wheat Elementary School is October 9, 2014.

Read up about all of the school’s features, and scroll below to see a gallery of photos taken on Friday morning.

Jones-Wheat Facts

94,138 square feet heated space
2,343 square feet mechanical mezzanine
4,133 square feet exterior canopies and entrances
Total construction area 100,614 square feet
Total construction cost $12,495,000.00
Cost per square foot $124.19
42 classrooms equipped with the most current technology, SMART video projectors and built-in sound system, 379 computers installed in the building
Total capacity of 750 students (currently Jones-Wheat has an enrollment of about 500 students)
Two fully-equipped computer labs
One tablet lab equipped with TabPilot technology
STEM lab equipped with latest technology and outside access area
Music classroom with latest technology and built-in sound system
Media center with classroom area, video projector, recessed screen and built-in sound system. Glass-block-enclosed reading center where teachers can take their classes for story time without disturbing other students in the library.
Gym with air conditioning, full basketball court, retractable bleachers, stage and lighting, sound system, rear video projector and recessed screen. Seating capacity 1,100. Bleacher capacity 568.
- The gym is also equipped with a special air scrubbing system that in the event of a toxic environmental issue outside the school, such as a tanker truck spill, students and teachers could go in the gym and be under the protection of clean-filtered air.
Cafeteria has two serving lines, teacher dining room, sound system, video projector and recessed screen. Seating capacity 325.
Five centralized print stations throughout the facility.

Safety features

All glass is laminated to include two layers of glass with a plastic film between them.
Extensive camera and security monitoring system to cover interior and exterior.
All major exterior doors have electric keypad locks for teacher access from the exterior.
All classroom door have intruders locks that can be locked from the inside of the classroom.
All classrooms have emergency call stations.
The front entrance is fully secured and monitored with controlled access.
Administrative offices have the ability to lockdown the building and send emergency notifications instantly throughout the facility.
There is an emergency generator that runs the gym’s air scrubber system, emergency lighting, data, cooler/freezers and some kitchen equipment.
The gym and rear restroom areas have an air scrubber system to provide clean, safe and filtered air during an emergency situation.
Two separate gated entrances for buses and parent pickup/drop-off
Entire campus has a security fence with gated entrances.

Energy-saving items

Motion sensors on all lighting
Corridors, gym, lunchroom and media center lighting are on a computerized low-voltage system
All heating and air conditioning units are on a digital control system with set points to ensure they do not run after hours and they start up before school each day.
Lighting fixtures used in the project are designed to reduce the amount of heat produced in the building