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Kadena breaks ground on new school

All attendees of the ground breaking ceremony purified their hands so the grounds could be blessed properly before entering the event on Kadena Air Base, Japan, Oct. 2, 2014. After the ceremony, attendees met back together at the Kadena Officers' Club for lunch where Sarabjit Singh Narula, Gilbane Federal president, spoke about the new project. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Stephen G. Eigel)

Kadena breaks ground on new school

From left to right, Masaomi Matsuo, TOA Corporation president and chief executive officer; Linda Curtis, Department of Defense Education Activities Pacific Area Office director; U.S. Army Col. John Hurley, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Japan District commander; U.S. Air Force Col. Deborah Lovette, 18th Mission Support Group commander; and Sarabjit Singh Narula, Gilbane Federal president, broke ground on the new school on Kadena Air Base, Japan, Oct. 2, 2014. The school is scheduled to be completed by 2017, and will accommodate more than 800 students. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Stephen G. Eigel)

Kadena breaks ground on new school

Key members of the ground breaking ceremony gather for a group photo on Kadena Air Base, Japan, Oct. 2, 2014. The school is being built as part of the Department of Defense Education Activities worldwide multi-year effort and is estimated to be completed by 2017. It will accommodate more than 800 students. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Stephen G. Eigel)

Kadena breaks ground on new school

Published Oct. 2, 2014
By Airman 1st Class Stephen G. Eigel
18th Wing Public Affairs

KADENA AIR BASE, Japan -- Kadena broke ground on a new elementary school on Oct. 2, 2014.

The school is being built as part of the Department of Defense Education Activities worldwide multi-year effort to modernize or replace schools that are no longer suitable for modern educational standards or that have exceeded their useful life expectancy, said Charlie Hoff, spokesman for the Pacific U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity. This new school will be energy efficient, meet all current fire and safety requirements, and be fully accessible to students, teachers, and visitors who may have disabilities.

With early planning for the school having started in May of 2011, the future elementary school is projected to be completed by 2017. It will accommodate more than 800 students.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Japan District, is overseeing the design and construction of the $71 million project which will be one comprehensive elementary school, said Rashida U. Banks, official spokesperson for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Japan District. This Japan District contract is the first construction contract to be awarded by the Corps for a Department of Defense Education Activity 21st Century School design in Japan. It is one of 16 schools to be constructed by the Corps under an $868 million DoDEA military construction program in Japan.

The new school will include a modern floor plan to support the latest student-focused teaching styles and is designed to provide space for both collaborative and individual learning.

After the ground breaking ceremony, many of the attendees went to the Kadena Officers' Club for a lunch where Sarabjit Singh Narula, Gilbane Federal president, spoke about the new school.

For more information, contact the DoDEA Okinawa District Superintendent's Office at 634-1204.