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Tick. Tick. Tick. Like an unfurling carpet, a cascade of motion-triggered light flows down the hallway of the new Pleasant Ridge Montessori School. “I love walking through the halls and seeing the lights turn on as I walk,” beams Maria Lagdameo, the school’s petite, high-energy principal, gesturing with both hands like a flight attendant. The cool new lighting scheme, part of a passive solar design that takes advantage of natural light delivered through tall windows angled toward the sun’s movement, is Lagdameo’s favorite component of her brand new, sustainably designed school.

It may not necessarily look it from the outside, clad in a traditional red brick facade, but Pleasant Ridge Montessori (preschool–8th grade) is on the cutting edge of Ohio public school design. Situated on Montgomery Road near the intersection of Lester Road, it is on the verge of becoming the first public elementary school in Ohio to be certified under a nationally recognized program known as LEED—or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design—for highly energy efficient, so-called “green” buildings. In September 2007, Cincinnati Public Schools embarked on an ambitious plan to make every new building meet LEED standards—the first such plan among public school districts in Ohio, according CPS spokesperson Janet Walsh. Due to that bold new initiative, Pleasant Ridge Montessori stands as a model for new public school construction and design in Cincinnati and across the state.

“The carpets are made from [two-liter plastic] bottles,” says a wide-eyed 12-year-old at the open house for the school in September, pointing to a navy blue carpet that acts as the boundary for one of six open-air classrooms. A nearby teacher explains that older students collect bins of paper, plastic, and aluminum every Thursday for recycling. A state-of-the-art ventilation system also promises to reduce the spread of germs—a perennial problem at any school—by delivering air through floor vents and returning it through ducts in slightly slanted ceilings. There’s also a noticeable lack of typical new-building smells, thanks to non-toxic materials used for carpeting and paint throughout the three-story structure.

Promoters of LEED say green buildings create a more positive environment for learning, which should improve academic performance and teacher retention while significantly reducing utility costs. So far, this much is quantifiable: enrollment is up to 572 students—almost double the figure when school let out in May. Attendance was also up during the first month of school—98 percent versus 90 percent for the same period a year ago, Lagdameo says. Parents, teachers, and the community of Pleasant Ridge seem decidedly more excited about another of the school’s distinctions: It is the first public neighborhood Montessori school in Cincinnati. Currently, the six other CPS Montessori schools are magnet programs that restrict enrollment and pull students from a bigger geographic area; Pleasant Ridge is open to all students in Pleasant Ridge and many surrounding neighborhoods.

Suzanne McConn, a visiting parent at the open house, describes the building as “spectacular” but says the educational program was the primary reason she chose to send her daughter to preschool at Pleasant Ridge. “Yes, it’s important,” she says of the eco-innovations. “It’s becoming more important to everyone. But the Montessori part is probably the most important to me.”

“Our school reflects the philosophy of educating the whole child—socializing the child and teaching them to respect the environment,” adds Lagdameo, whose repeated handshakes and hugs during the open house resembled a politician working the crowd at a campaign rally. “My goal,” she says walking briskly through a natural light–filled hallway connected to the cafeteria, “is to learn all the kids’ names by Christmas.”

A Pleasant Ridge Montessori Primer

The Answer, Please
Karen Luckie, the school’s former principal, played an integral role in the initial planning, gathering community members, teachers, and parents at a local café to brainstorm ways to attract more students. “The answer was Montessori,” she says.

Talking Green
SHP Leading Designs of Norwood, along with engineering firm Kleingers & Associates, helped steer Pleasant Ridge through the LEED design process. Charlie Jahnigen of SHP estimates the eco components in the school added only 2 to 3 percent to its $15.4 million price tag.

Lessons Learned
According to the U.S. Green Building Council, an average green school will use 33 percent less energy; save 32 percent more water; and reduce solid waste by 74 percent.

Logs to LEED
The entryway contains a cornerstone from the old school, which was built in 1909. Pleasant Ridge has had a school here, or near here, since 1811, when the Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian Church paid $20 to finish a one-room log school.

Originally published in the November 2008 issue.