This Thursday, September 3, The Ozark Headwaters Group of the Sierra Club will host a panel to discuss the environmental opportunities of the proposed new high school in the Fayetteville school district.

A millage increase is being sought to fund construction of the new FHS.

The “Building a L.E.E.D. Certified High School for the 21st Century” panel will include Fayetteville School Board member Jim Halsell, Chief Information Officer of the Fayetteville School District Susan Norton, FHS teacher John Gheen and the City of Fayetteville’s Director of Sustainability John Coleman.

Club Chair Matthew Petty says the intent for the program is to present the opportunities for ecological education and environmental management that a 21st century learning center would provide. “We believe our education system must be upgraded to prepare young people for 21st century challenges,” said Petty.

The Fayetteville School District plans to pursue certification in the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program (LEED). If built, the new school will be the first LEED-certified high school in Northwest Arkansas. Other buildings in Arkansas that have achieved LEED certification include the Fayetteville Public Library, the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, and Bethel Middle School in Bryant.

“We are pleased that the Fayetteville School District is demonstrating such bold leadership with this imaginative approach to creating a world-class 21st Century high school,” said Stephen Smith, a Sierran serving on the Club’s Political Committee and moderator for the panel. “Not only will it serve as a model to encourage other school districts to embrace sustainable practices, but it will serve as a daily example to imbue generations of students with an understanding of the relationship between the natural and built environments.”

Comments and questions will be allowed throughout the duration of the program and will be accepted through a form on the event’s website. Questions relevant to environmental aspects of Project 21c will be given priority.