Desert Edge High School

Desert Edge High School
Location
15778 W. Yuma Road Goodyear, Arizona, 85338 United States
Information
School type	Public high school
School district	Agua Fria Union High School District
Principal	Bob Grey
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	1,496 students (Oct. 2010)
Color(s)	Copper/black
Mascot	Scorpions
Information	623.932.7500
Website	[1]

Desert Edge High School is a high school in Goodyear, Arizona under the jurisdiction of the Agua Fria Union High School District.

Campus

The 218,783-square-foot (20,325.6 m²) site set on 55 acres (220,000 m²) includes, besides classrooms and administration offices, a media center, gymnasium, student bookstore, auditorium, and career technology area.

History and construction

The first phase of Desert Edge was new construction completed in 2002.^[1] The second phase of the structure, a 90,000-square-foot (8,400 m²) expansion, was built by Adolfson and Peterson Construction and completed in 2005.^[2] It received LEED Silver certification, making Desert Edge Arizona's first LEED-certified public high school and the fourth in the United States.^[3] It included new classrooms and a free-standing fine arts center. This expansion was completed four weeks ahead of schedule and $450,000 under budget.

The result of this is that the district saves $58,000 annually in energy costs and uses 1 million US gallons (3,800 m³) of water a year compared to a traditional high school. The Agua Fria Union High School District's fourth high school, Verrado High School (opened 2006), has a similar LEED certification. Since then, Desert Edge and Verrado have also received solar panel installs, which will be forthcoming to the other high schools in the district by September 2011.^[4] It is estimated that some 40 percent of the entire district's energy needs will come from these solar panels upon completion.

Awards

The campus, largely for its environmentally-friendly features, has won the following awards:^[1]

• 2002 American School and University Architectural Portfolio Outstanding Building Award
• 2006 "Best of Green Building – Public" award from Southwest Contractor magazine
• 2006 Valley Forward Association Award of Merit

References

1. ^ ^{a b} http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/energysmartschools/ess_desert-edge_cs.pdf
2. ^ http://www.azdeq.gov/ceh/download/desertedge_summary.pdf
3. ^ http://www.a-p.com/project/greenbuildings/desert-edge-high-school-leed-silver
4. ^ http://www.azcentral.com/community/swvalley/articles/2011/01/16/20110116agua-fria-solar-panels.html