Figure 1 (above). LAUSD Dahlia Heights Elementary
Back-to-School: How CHPS Builds Healthy Schools for Thriving Students
By Ry Cabote
Ry Cabote is a Social Media & Marketing Intern at Verdical Group. They are currently studying Psychology & Entrepreneurship at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and have a strong passion for sustainability, fashion, and marketing. In addition to supporting our marketing team, they are helping to coordinate Verdical Group’s Net Zero Conference this fall.
It is August, which for many means that it’s back-to-school season! Whether you have kids in school or know someone like a sibling, cousin, or friend in school, you know that in addition to making sure students succeed academically, it’s important to also ensure that they have healthy classrooms with adequate lighting. Kids learn better in cleaner, more comfortable environments.
Some of Verdical Group’s favorite projects have worked to ensure this using the Collaborative for High-Performance Schools (CHPS) program. CHPS, founded in 1999, was developed as a collaboration with California’s utilities to reduce energy consumption and operational costs in California’s PK-12 educational facilities. CHPS helps to ensure that every child has the best possible learning environment with the smallest impact on the environment. CHPS envisions high-performance schools to be the rule rather than the exception, giving every PK-12 student in America equitable access to a school environment that cultivates their academic performance, well-being, and safety.
What defines a high-performance school? High-performance schools are facilities that combine assisting students to achieve high levels of academic performance (i.e. standardized test scores and graduation rates) and promoting the health and safety of the students and the planet (i.e. energy efficiency, healthy and sustainable material choices, and light efficiency).
Since CHPS’ founding, the program has made a significant impact on a number of schools, including several that Verdical Group has assisted in helping to meet the program’s standards: LAUSD Dahlia Heights Elementary (Figure 1), LAUSD Colfax Charter Elementary (Figure 2) and Malibu High School (Figure 3).
These three projects only scratch the surface of the change needed in our schools. Interested in learning more or determining if CHPS is a fit for your educational facility? Need help getting started? Verdical Group will guide you the entire way, just like how your favorite teacher guided you through school. Contact us to learn more.
