HISD District III Trustee Manuel Rodriguez will join students, staff and community members for the official dedication ceremony of the new Patterson Elementary School (5302 Allendale) on Friday, May 18 at 9 a.m.

“The neighborhood deserves a new school and the dedication has been long time coming,” Rodriguez said.  “We know that the school staff is there to provide an excellent education for the children of the neighborhood.”

State Senator Mario Gallegos is among the elected officials expected to attend Friday’s event.

The new Patterson facility is built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards and is projected to have an annual 37 percent reduction in water use and a 19 percent reduction in energy use.  This campus also has two high-capacity rainwater collection cisterns that are used for landscape irrigation.  The district has committed to build all new construction projects to LEED standards. 

“It’s much more than a new building.  It’s a source of pride for this close-knit community,” said Principal Jeannie Castano.  “Our new library is amazing, and makes it so much easier to teach the connection between everyday life and literature.”

The $805 million bond referendum approved by voters in 2007 made the project possible. The new school includes:

• New library;
• New science labs;
• New computer lab; and
• Smart Board technology in all classrooms.

For more information about other school construction projects district wide, visit www.hisdprojects.org

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