Jenine Ikeler
by Jessica Giordano
staff writer
Area children will be learning in a new building come September. The new Radnor Elementary School that has been under construction for the past year on King of Prussia and Matson Ford Roads will be finished by mid-August and occupied by students in early September, according to Leo Bernabie, director of operations for the Radnor Township School District.
The new elementary school will be 94,212 square feet and will house approximately 500 students kindergarten through fifth grade. There will be 50 full-time employees, 10-15 part-time employees and about 25 parent volunteers. According to the Radnor Township website, emphasis was put on keeping the elementary school small, because research had consistently proven that achievement is higher in smaller educational institutions.
The total construction time for Radnor Elementary was 18 months and it was built with ecological concerns in mind. When the project began, the community placed an emphasis on the importance of indoor air quality. The architects and engineers were asked to design a “fresh air school,” according to the Radnor Township website.
Strict attention was paid to the building materials and construction methods. The Radnor community also wanted the new school to be as environmentally responsible. Many of the materials in the building were selected because they included recycled materials or were derived from managed sources.
Another distinct feature that will be on the inside of Radnor Elementary, will be movable walls in pod areas for the expansion of classrooms, according to Bernabie. Bernabie also adds that this project has been a great success because it has been “on time, on schedule and on budget.”
Last fall Cabrini students, faculty and staff had to deal with the traffic that was caused by the construction of this school, but Bernabie does not believe that traffic will be a problem in the future. There will be a “traffic counting” system used, where cars that come onto the school property will be counted and limited in number. In addition, Radnor Elementary will utilize the Radnor Corporate Center driveway, which is located on Matson Ford road.
The new grade school might also open new opportunities for Cabrini student teachers. Maria Small, education department secretary, says that whenever Radnor Elementary is willing to accept Cabrini student teachers the department would be happy to have them work there.
