Following their initial foray into “green” construction with the Regional Environmental Studies Center (RESC) building at the district office, Manteca Unified School District established their first eco-friendly classrooms at Manteca High School in January of 2015.
A year later, students learn great things in these classrooms.
Transitioning from his lecture to the lab portion of the lesson, Troy White — Science department chair and AP Biology teacher at Manteca High School —r eviews some of the concepts his students learned in preparation for this lab.
“What happens when we place the sample on ice?” asked White, looking around the room. After listening to his student’s response, he said, “Yes, that’s right. The reaction, or growth, slows down.”
Students worked in pairs or small groups following the lab directions independently. In this kind of environment, precision is important. “This lab tasks them to grow E.Coli bacteria and try to get a plasmid, which is a section of DNA that has a gene to make the bacteria glow from a jellyfish,” said White. “So, we are actually transforming the bacteria to get it to do something that it would never do in nature.”
As students alternated between the back of the room, where the heat and ice baths are kept, and back to their group tables to see the next step, White commented, “The nice thing about it is that with a lab like this, the students actually learn more from their failure than their success, because they are able to backtrack and see what procedure was missed and what happened.”
Turning to the class again, White instructed, “Whenever you use a sterile loop to spread bacteria into your plasmid, be sure to put that loop into the bleach when you are finished with it. We do not want to carry bacteria around the room.”
As students moved back to their tables, White commented, “Lab stations are mobile so that we can adjust the classroom however the teacher wants to adjust it, but we also have the more convenient electrical and gas outlets. Before, I had to switch classes with the other chemistry teacher to run a lab and I didn’t really have the ability to run Bunsen burner labs in my classroom.”
White moved around the room and monitored progress. “So, we want to put it in the hot bath to get the reaction going,” announced White. “But this is one of those things that I want you to use your cell phones to time precisely. It must be exactly 5 minutes, no more and no less. This type of heat shocking loosens the cell membrane and allows the glow gene to enter the DNA.”
Experiments help
open students’ eyes
“These experiments have definitely opened my eyes to the different opportunities there are in the science field,” said Andrew Brunn, junior and AP Biology student. “Learning how to use different tools and techniques early gives me an advantage over students who may not have had the same experience I did in the classroom.”
Aside, White commented, “It is almost better when mistakes happen because then they go back and see and learn from their mistakes.”
Working with four different samples with different lab conditions, students would then hypothesize what happens to the bacteria. Will it grow? Will it glow? Or will it die?
Labs like these are possible both because of a partnership with Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, and because of the building the class is held in.
For some students, this AP Biology class was not their first exposure to a modern energy efficient classroom. Five years ago, American Modular Systems (AMS) closed down their entire plant to allow the first class of 6th grade Environmental Stewards, Manteca USD Students, to come experience what these modern eco-friendly learning environments look like. Andrew Brunn was one of those Environmental Stewards students five years ago. Today, he learns in one of these eco-friendly classrooms.
“The difference between the science classrooms and standard classrooms is that it feels like you are actually in a laboratory doing these experiments,” said Brunn.
In partnership with Manteca Unified’s L.O.G.I.C. (Leadership on Green Initiatives Committee), these sixth grade students donned hard hats and took a tour of the factory. The learned about modern modular construction and how the use of design and materials work together to produce an eco-friendly building.
During their visit, students completed a variety of tasks to help reinforce their understanding of the need for sustainable energy, recycling, and the long-term cost savings inherent to energy efficient design.
Some students presented their poster projects, showing with their own designs the scope of their learning from this exciting day.
American Modular
created classrooms
with unmatched
energy efficiency
American Modular Systems (AMS) created a classroom wing with unmatched energy efficiency. This new science wing features easy maintenance and versatile building design. The Gen7 classrooms are the ideal platform for integrating technology and science education in a quiet, healthy learning environment.
“We are switching to the NGSS standards which is more project based learning. We are working with the PASCO equipment. They are using their tablets to collect data, in biology that has been really nice,” said White. “They can take real time data. Let’s say they are running an experiment to measure the amount of oxygen a leaf is giving off. They can stick this probe in there, shine a light onto that leaf, and the probe can measure that oxygen is being produced instantly by that leaf. Or, when they turn off the light, they can see the oxygen level going down as well.”
AMS worked closely with the design team to future-proof the customized interior and exterior space, masterfully blending modern clean-lined architecture with the rich history of the past. An elongated wing houses six science classrooms and three lab prep areas, each with wireless access and efficiently clustered into three two-classroom lab sections.
“The store rooms are great. It is set up really well and the class seems to be fairly spacious,” said White. “When I looked at the dimensions, I thought these rooms are not big enough, but they are actually set up really nicely. The cabinetry is great for storage and we have the chemical shower. Everything is just nice here.”
AMS meets challenges
posed at Manteca High
Aaron Bowers, who was the Coordinator of Construction Management for MUSD at the time, explained, “Building a ground-up science facility on an active campus, in a tight construction area, with limited access and minimal disruption to students and staff, was certainly a significant challenge. AMS delivered, giving us a beautiful building that uses every foot of educational space to satisfy the needs of school curriculum while still respecting the environment, student culture and the historic attributes of our existing campus.”
In addition to the natural ventilation system, these Gen 7 science classrooms utilize an innovative smart lighting system. Its Energy Star skylights help take full advantage of daylight harvesting while preventing heat gain and loss. Light sensors even measure the amount of natural light in the room and automatically dim interiors to minimize waste. It is common for these classrooms to need zero artificial light during the school day.
“The feature that is really neat is the natural lighting. Most of the time we don’t even have to turn on the lights in here. The students seem to like the natural lighting a whole lot better than the fluorescent lights,” said White. “Their moods seem to be better. Most of the time I can get away with just the natural lighting. We can shut the light vents if we need to. The projector is great and sound system is great as well.”
“As a part of Prop 39, we will but putting solar panels on the building later this year,” said Bowers, current Director of Operations. “The solar panels on this wing will help offset our second largest meter on campus. It should offset all of the electricity consumption of that wing, making it pretty close to a zero net energy wing of classrooms.”
Another amazing thing is that all of these features do not add up to a noisier science lab because the AMS Gen 7 design limits outside noise and absorbs echo. While a typical classroom will have an acoustical range of 55 – 77 decibels, Gen 7 classrooms with their canted ceiling and indoor acoustical design achieves a whisper quiet environment of only 35 decibels. This reduces strain on the teacher’s voice and helps maintain an effective lab atmosphere.
In a space where quiet concentration can make a huge difference, this building provides an ideal space for learning.
Watching these engaged students work on their lab, it seemed as if they felt more peaceful and focused in this environment. A few of them quietly gave each other a high five, as they finished the lab and appreciated the silent smile of Mr. White.
The next day they would be back to see the fruit of their experiments. As they clean up, Mr. White adds, “Just wait, next Monday we will do a lab with DNA fingerprinting.”
As the students began to clean up, White explained, “In the DNA fingerprinting lab, they learn real life techniques that they would use in a forensics lab. They have to learn about not cross contaminating their samples. They have to learn how to store their samples in the proper way.”
“The hands on learning gives me an idea of what the science field will be like if I take an interest in that career in the future,” said Brunn.
“They have to really learn what is going on in order to do this lab,” said White. “They have to holistically think about why they are doing each step.”
Moving from rooms spread out on the campus to the new science wing at Manteca High School has made a huge difference. These future scientists learn in an eco-friendly place that helps their learning thrive.
