Verrado High School

Verrado High School is a high school in the Verrado community of Buckeye, Arizona, United States under the jurisdiction of the Agua Fria Union High School District.

History

The school started construction in early 2005 and opened in late 2006.

Facility

The school is 220,000 square feet (20,000 m²) in size, designed for an enrollment of 1,600 students. It is built for the smaller learning communities format, with five "wings". It was built in 2006 with $36 million in funding. The school is LEED Silver-certified; some environmentally-friendly features include waterless urinals, high-efficiency indirect lighting, and use of local building materials for some 85% of the project.^[2] The Orcutt/Winslow-built structure won the Education Design Showcase 2007 Project of Distinction Award. The classrooms have only three walls, and no doors. The rooms with doors and four walls have windows to be able to see in to the classroom. The three wall classrooms help students focus in class as they become immune to outside noises and distractions. The open hallways and friendly students and staff reflect Verrado's motto, One Verrado.^[3] In addition, Verrado and Desert Edge High School (built by the same district in 2002 and 2005 with a similar LEED certification) have also received solar panel installations, 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.

Athletics

The Verrado Vipers are part of the Arizona Interscholastic Association's Div II/III (Depending on the sport). Verrado competes in all AIA-sanctioned sports save for boys' volleyball and badminton.

Awards

Newsweek placed the school No. 1,586 in its 2013 list of America's Best High Schools,^[5] and one of America's Most Challenging High Schools by the Washington Post.

References